


Miss you, not.

by nox_fures



Category: Twosetviolin
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Boys' Love, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:47:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 23,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21859282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nox_fures/pseuds/nox_fures
Summary: “Do I miss you? Maybe.”“Do I like you? ...”Brett and Eddy has been having some friendship problems. What will happen when things get out of control?Between juggling university, social life and internal emotional turmoil, will they finally find each other again?
Relationships: Eddy Chen/Brett Yang
Kudos: 40





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I’m cross posting this from Wattpad. This is just something that has been sitting in my drafts for a while so I just decided eh why not post it.
> 
> I had some qualms on shipping real life people. But their amazing chemistry just pulls me in and I can't help but to imagine them being in a romantic relationship. Here we are lmao.
> 
> [Disclaimer: This is simply a work of fiction. I respect their friendship. If you're Brett and/or Eddy PLEASE do not read this.]
> 
> Do leave comments, I’d love to talk to you guys :)
> 
> Enjoy!

The group had just finished their quartet practice after class. It was almost time for dinner and Brett was feeling quite hungry. "Hey, wanna grab a bite before we go back?"

"Yea, sure."

"Oh wait, let me text Eddy, see if he wanna join us." He took out the phone from his pocket and quickly typed a text. He was smiling. 

Sara stared at Ryan and rolled her eyes. Ryan shrugged back apologetically.

A few minutes passed and there were no answer.

"Well, maybe he's busy right now. We should save him a seat when in case he read the text and decided to come." He tried his best not to let his disappointment show. Unfortunately, his friends knew him too well.

Sara, Ryan and Jade shared a look amongst themselves.

"What?" Noticing he was out of the loop.

"God, you need help." Jade cried out loud, no longer able to handle Brett's oblivion. 

"Excuse me?"

"All you did today was rant to us about Eddy "avoiding" you again." Sara added.

"I mean it is his fault-" Brett defended himself but was cut off.

"So why didn't you just confront him about it?"

Jade backed Sara up, "If you miss him that much, you should just tell him. Set a date, talk it out or something."

"What? Are you nuts? He'll think I'm crazy and overthinking things which I am not-"

"You smile like a maiden in love when you get his texts. And you get super gloomy when he didn't reply for a long time. And I swear all you talk about all the time is how great he is."

"Because he is?"

Ryan groaned, "He's got it bad."

"Girl, you got issues." Jade snapped her fingers.

"Fine. You're right. I have problems. I've been having.. certain feelings."

"Oh. Tell us more about this.. "feelings"." Sara had this expression on and Ryan could immediately tell that this girl will stop at nothing to get what she wanted to know.

Brett noticed that all eyes are on him, curious and questioning. He caved in.

"It's really nothing guys. I mean sure I wanna spend more time with him despite our very busy and very different schedules. I understand that he couldn't make time for other things. Sometimes I wish it was like when we were in school again. We'd talk about how our days went, and share our thoughts. Yknow, hanging out like we usually do." Brett smiled warmly, unaware of it himself.

"There it is again."

"What?" Brett asked blankly.

"That face! You always have this shy little smile whenever you talk about him." Sara pointed out.

"No, I don't! Ryan help me out here, buddy."

"I'm afraid she's right, Brett. Sorry." Ryan lifted his hands up in resignation.

"Oh Brett, sweetie.." Jade cooed, pitifully at this poor, smitten man.

"Stop it. Why do you guys keep talking as if.. as if I'm.." his sentence trailed off.

The epiphany was there. Well, almost. 

Brett snapped out of his thoughts. "Whatever! Weren't you guys hungry? Let's just go get dinner and not talk about this anymore."


	2. II

Eddy was back at his dorm room. It was almost 12 midnight. Clearly he went a little overboard on the assignment and finished it all up in one go. It wasn't even due until next week. Not that he was a completionist. But recently he found it easier to make himself busy to keep his problems away. Not exactly the best way to deal with them but it worked. 

He threw his backpack to the side and let himself fall onto his bed face first, groaning into his pillow.

It was then the fatigue really kicked in. Every inch of muscles in his body was just retaliating at the thought of getting up and cleaning himself before bed.

His tests? Killing it. Projects and assignments? Excellent. Social life? Not that great. He felt a little empty. 

Suddenly, the thought of Brett came into his head. He felt bad that he had been neglecting his social life. He hadn't been going to parties or hanging out after class with friends. All he had been doing was work and more work.

Occasionally, the thoughts of his best friend came to mind. He couldn't quite put a name to it. Was it.. longing? He told himself that he was just distracted and poured in more effort into his studies to keep such thoughts away.

But still, they hadn't seen each other for over a month. Eddy ought to do something about it. Their text conversations had been so short, it was like they were.. drifting apart. He didn't like that. But he couldn't do anything about it. Weeks went by and at one point it became awkward between them.

'Tomorrow's Friday. I should be able to chill for a bit.' He brought his phone out and texted Brett. 

Eddy: Wanna hangout tomorrow after class? We can go to the bookstore or cafe if you'd like 😉 

And sent. He closed his eyes a bit, feeling drowsy but then jolted up awake to the sound of notification.

Brett: Absolutely. See you at 4?

Eddy: 4 it is👌🏻

Brett: Great. See you then 😆

Eddy smiled to himself. He could feel the excitement pouring from a single text. He could imagine his voice, his laughter, and his smile when they banter around like old friends. For some reason the tiredness from earlier had dissipated a little. He needed this break. Maybe they both did.

Things would clear up and they would put this behind them and everything would go back to how they were. 

Unless, Eddy didn't want that. Perhaps he wished they were something.. more. Is that even possible considering their life long friendship? 'I don't wanna think about that right now. I'm tired.' He closed his eyes.

'I really wanna see him.' Was the last thought in his head before he fell asleep.


	3. III

Brett jumped up from his bed so fast he almost threw his phone. He took a few minutes to reply to show that he wasn't too excited about it when in reality he actually was. He typed a reply back. A few moments later, he got himself a date.

'Okay, no. Maybe calling it a "date" was little bit too much. We're just two best friends hanging like we usually do. A "friendly date" perhaps?'

'Eddy actually texted me first and asked me to hangout.' Brett grinned from ear to ear as he read the text again in disbelief. 'Oh god, this is really happening. Was the emoji too much? He must've think I'm such a dork for being excited over this.'

He buried his face in his pillow and let out a muffled scream out of excitement.

Oh no, he was nervous. Why was he nervous? He has hung out with Eddy countless times before. Why was he nervous at all? Oh, he was freaking out now. 

He texted the groupchat consisting of him, Sara, Ryan and Jade. Its main purpose was for their group project but they mostly talk about random stuff. Coincidentally, it was also where they bonded over "hot goss" from across the campus. Jade was their insider. There was almost nothing that she couldn't find out.

Brett: *screenshot.jpeg* Oh my god?

Jade: Wow, the Ever Busy, Honours Student Eddy Chen is actually making time for his friend. Shocker.

Brett: Right??

Sara: Okay, remember what we talked about before, Brett? Address the problems.

Brett: Do I have to? I'm sure I'm just overreacting. I just really wanna hangout with him. I don't wanna be a downer.

Ryan: Why the heck are you guys awake at this ungodly hour omg

Jade: Hey, we always got each other's back no matter what. Isn't that right, Ryan? 😇🔪

Ryan: Right. Go get him, tiger!

Sara: You'll be fine, Brett. You guys have been friends for so many years. You can't let this little thing bring you guys apart.

Leave it to Sara for pep talks. She always knew what to say in times of stress. 

Brett: Okay, fine. You're right. 

Ryan: Yeah, man. Just have be yourself and have fun.

Jade: Finally, we're about to be free from this curse of Brett's pining!

Brett: Okaaay. Goodnight everyone.

Sometimes Brett was kinda grateful for this mismatch group of his. They may be a little weird and nosey at times but they were good people.

He lied back down and tried to go back to sleep. All he could think about was Eddy. He was gonna see his best friend again. Things would return to normal between them. The giddy feeling in his stomach kept him awake for most of the night but he eventually fell asleep dreaming about tomorrow.

—

_I want to see you._

_want to spend time with you._

Such thoughts circulated in his head. He wouldn't admit that the thought of his best friend came to his mind every single minute of the day. 

With everything going in his life, he felt like if he could see him, even just for a little while, everything was going to be okay.

He glanced at his phone expectantly, ever so often throughout his day. Hoping in his small heart for the familiar sound of the notification to ring.

A special sound that rang only for _him_.

But it never came. 

He had no right to be feeling disappointed all on his own.

It was selfish to be feeling this way.

It was cowardly to keep quiet too.

Why did it have to be so complicated?

In the rare occasions that it did rang, he felt so happy. _Too_ happy. Much more than he would like to admit.

_Did he think of me as much I thought of him?_

If the thought of him crossed his mind every once in a while, then he was glad.

Perhaps relieved he wasn't forgotten.

Why couldn't he just pick up his phone and send one little text if he so desired?

_Do I miss you? Maybe._

_Do I like you..?_

He doesn't have an answer for that.

It the end, he couldn't say anything.

Maybe some things are better left unsaid.


	4. IV

Brett's day went about as usual. Almost as usual. His friends wouldn't let him live.

"You're smiling a lot today, Brett. I think I have a guess why." Sara raised her brows playfully.

He let out a little laugh as he packed his bag, the group was about to go and have lunch."What are you talking about? I'm just as usual as I've ever been." He feigned.

"Wow, you're dressed to kill today, tiger." Jade whistled, nodding in approval at Brett's choice in his outfit. 

He was wearing some of his slightly more fashionable clothes. Simple white tee and a casual blazer in grey to match. He woke up at 6 am and spent the remainder of his time before class mix and matching clothes to find the perfect match. Maybe some mental breakdowns were involved in process but he emerged victorious. He didn't even know why he cared so much to put effort into looking good. Since when did he start to care about the little things?

"Oh, I just felt like it."

"We all know why, Brett. God, you're so easy to read, it's adorable." Jade pinched his cheek.

"Stop that." Brett whined as he tried to swat Jade's hand away. 

"I think it's 'cause of someone whose name starts with an E," Ryan said teasingly in a singsong manner.

Brett rolled his eyes and sighed. "Cmon, let's go to the cafeteria before all the tables are taken."

They were bantering along the way, as usual, when Brett noticed a familiar figure sitting on a bench in the park near the cafeteria. 'Isn't that Eddy?'  
He smiled brightly at the sight of his friend. His heart beat in ways he never felt before. 'What is this weird feeling?' He put a hand on his chest, trying to calm his heart. He was flustered. That had never happened before.

"Oh hey, that's Eddy! And.. Karen." Ryan said. 

The said woman, named Karen, was pointing to something on the piece of paper Eddy was holding. They looked like they were in a discussion of some sorts. Sounded important. However, this "Karen" seemed rather.. audacious. She seemed to have no respect for personal space whatsoever and the way she laughed.. utterly gregarious. She was sitting so close to Eddy, that one might think she was impersonating a cat. Just begging for the attention. 

Okay, maybe that was an overstatement. He quietly apologised for antagonising Karen in his mind. 

Brett's heart was still beating rapidly, but for a different reason now. His face felt hot. His chest felt tight. He had his hands in fists unconsciously. The smile from before had disappeared. Is this.. anger? But why? What did it matter to him whoever Eddy was seeing?

"They sure looked super friendly huh? Did you guys know? I heard from Karen's friend that she got a crush on—" Jade rambled on before being shushed by Sara.

"Shut up, Jade." She hissed. "Brett, you're not going to go talk to him?" 

Brett stared at the two people sitting, quite closely, on the bench. "No. It's fine. He seems busy. I'll be meeting him this evening anyway."

He walked away and the rest of his friends followed him in silence to the cafeteria.

—

It was time. Brett, being the nerd that he was, he came 15 minutes earlier than the promised time. He checked his hair using his phone as a mirror. He had parted it neatly but it felt a little too formal so he ruffled it up a bit. 'There. Perfectly imperfect.'

The whole thing with Karen was still fresh in his head, but he didn't wanna think about it. He just wanted to focus on enjoying the time with his best friend. Surely Eddy would feel uncomfortable talking about.. whatever that thing was with Karen in the park. 

—

Brett looked at his watch, the excitement has died down a little but he was trying his best to stay optimistic. Eddy has been late before. Classic Eddy. 30 something minutes wasn't a big deal. Brett can wait a little bit longer.

After all, this was a very much anticipated hangout after over a month of very distressing academic things and schedule of all things. Can one imagine not being able to see your friend despite being in the same faculty? Their schedules were conveniently clashing to the point of parallel perfection. Not even a coincidental bump in across the campus yard.

Needless to say, a few more minutes wasn't that big of a deal for Brett Yang.

—

"Thanks for looking through my composition for me, Ed." Her pale and slender hand lingered on Eddy's shoulder. A little too long for his comfort.

"No prob, Karen." He gave her a tight line smile.

"Owe you one, bye." She shot him a wink as she walked away and waved her hand.

Eddy waved her goodbye. Still trying his best to keep the smile on. As soon as her figure left the study room of the library, he let out a sigh, dropping the act. 

'Oh god, that took way too long.' 

Karen had been asking the same questions even though Eddy had been explaining to her several times over the past hour. But Eddy humoured her anyway. Because Eddy was nice. 

Occasionally, she would blatantly talk about unrelated topics, in her high pitched voice. She giggled way too much, it was distracting for him to even focus on the task she originally asked for help with.

He was dealing with all of that while subtly defending from her rather obvious advances. For an instance, she leaned in so close, their faces were almost touching. Had it not been for Eddy swerving so casually to the other way to grab a document, their lips might've touched.

He has heard of the rumours. And Karen wasn't exactly being secretive about it. But he felt bad declining a request from a classmate. Plus she was one of the members of their group project. It was best to make sure they were on good terms. 

He stretched his body. A little sore from sitting too long when something clicked in his head. 

'Brett!' 

He frantically looked at his watch. It was almost 7 pm. Brett couldn't have waited for him. He wouldn't actually wait for almost two hours at the bus stop.. right? Eddy thought. 

'Isn't it raining right now?'


	5. V

Eddy arrived at the bus stop by foot. He was holding an umbrella. He didn't know why he came to the bus stop when he has convinced himself that Brett had already left. Perhaps it was just a hunch. Nevertheless, here he was, at the bus stop late in the evening, halfway soaked as the rain had turned into a thunderstorm at one point. 

No signs of Brett. 

Eddy breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn't know what to do if-

Holding on to his thought, he saw a figure slightly hidden just behind the wall of the bus stop. He knew that silhouette anywhere. It was Brett. 'Oh no.' A piece of his heart broke from seeing him waiting all alone in the cold.

He walked over to him quickly. "Brett, I can explain." 

"Alright then. Explain." He had his arms crossed, his expression was cold and unfeeling.

"Karen. She asked for a favour at the last minute. I thought I could make it but it took a lot longer than expected and I completely forgot-"

"Okay sure, fine. I sent texts and left voicemails. You could've called me."

"My battery died."

"So? Make an effort and find a way!" Brett didn't care anymore, he was shouting at this point. 

"Okay, there was absolutely no need to raise your voice. In the first place, why did you even wait for me when it obviously looked like I won't show up at all." Eddy blurted out, as if he wasn't in the wrong at all.

Brett's mind blanked for a moment. His expression turned dark and his eyes were soulless. 'So he wasn't planning on coming? Did I mean nothing to him..?'

"So you were planning on ditching me?" 

"No, that's not the point—" Eddy had his hand in his face, exasperated.

"You," Brett pointed at Eddy, quite aggressively, might he add, "never promise me anything ever again." His face was hot, like it was burning. His throat felt tight as he tried his best to choke back the tears.

Eddy noticed how Brett's eyes looked a little red and how his hands are shaking slightly. 'His voice was.. trembling.' Eddy has never seen Brett this tense before, almost never in their life long years of friendship. 

Brett turned around, never wanting anything more than to leave the place as quickly as possible. His eyes sting, threatening to shed tears of frustration and disappointment. He was not low enough to let Eddy see him like this. It was best for him to leave before he started saying things he would regret and did irreversible damage. Before his heart broke even more than it already has. 

Forget the books he had wanted to have a discussion with Eddy over coffee. Forget the long walk in the park he so looked forward to. And, oh how much had Brett missed those walks with Eddy. How much he enjoyed the presence of the other as they talked about everything and anything.

He felt like a complete idiot. For having expectations. For having hope. 

What was he so excited all by himself for? Right now, all he wanted was the comfort of his bed. And probably cry himself to sleep while he tried to deal with his emotions.

"This is ridiculous, Brett. You're overreacting." Eddy said, louder so that Brett could hear from the distance between them. 

Brett stopped in his tracks, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. 'Don't do this, Brett Yang. Just keep walking.. just.. Oh, what the fuck.' 

Brett turned around, to Eddy's surprise. "I say to myself every time that I don't care. But I always find myself back in this pointless, endless loop. I care so much, I didn't even realize it until it was eating me up inside." 

Sara did say to 'address the problems' so Brett was trying to do so, albeit spitefully.

Eddy breathed in exasperatingly. "It's just a date, Brett. I forgot because I had something more important to do. Can't you understand that?"

As if the universe was playing some kind of cruel joke, the heavy rain kept on pouring, and the wind blew strongly, mirroring the thunderstorm of emotions in Brett's heart.

"It's not about the date, Eddy! God!" Brett cried out, throwing his hands in the air. Eddy was now very concerned. 

"This is about you being emotionally absent as a friend. Don't think I didn't notice you being so obviously withdrawn. From me specifically. We don't hang out as much let alone have a decent conversation together. Do you know how painful that is for me?" Brett's expression was so heartbreaking, Eddy didn't have the heart to retaliate. He knew he was right, so he was at a loss of words. 

Brett kept going in his fury. 

"I was starting to think that I did something wrong. Am I overthinking things? I don't know! Why am I like this?"

Brett has his face in his hands, clearly distressed. Eddy was speechless. He knew Brett was right. Brett has shown a significant amount of effort into arranging meet-ups and hangouts. But Eddy just kept on deliberately avoiding them. 

Every time he saw Brett, he felt this warm feeling in his chest. It was concerning and confusing. He was scared. And so he distanced himself. He thought that this was the best for them both. Clearly, it wasn't. All of that lead up to this disaster. 

They were both miserable. A pang of guilt hit him upon the realisation.


	6. VI

Brett looked at Eddy, ominously, "You. You made me like this." Before Eddy could say anything in his defence, Brett continued, "No, this is all my fault. I was the one who let this get to me. I made a big deal out of this." Brett started to pace around the area between them, as if he was talking to himself. Eddy could tell that Brett was spiralling and he was spiralling hard. He was starting to monologue by himself for god's sake.

"Brett, calm down. You're making a fuss out of nothing." Eddy sighed. He was glad there were no one at the bus stop. Then again, who in their right mind would wait at the bus stop during a thunderstorm?

Brett looked at him as if he just said the most preposterous thing. 

'Oh. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say.' Eddy thought.

"It might mean nothing to you, but all these little things meant the world to me. Why do I care so much to the point I started hurting? Are any of these feelings even real? Can someone please tell me.. This is so stupid. Have I gone mad?" And the monologue continued.

"Are you done?" Eddy stared at Brett blankly, impatiently, crossing his arms.

"Look, I'm sorry if you've been feeling this way all this time." He walked closer to Brett. "If you would just speak up, none of this would've happened." 

He stood in silence. Even in his delirious state of mind, Brett can tell that Eddy was right. He was so sad and confused. Left to deal with these emotions alone for so long with no one to confide in. For most of his life, Eddy was his best friend. They pretty much shared everything about each other. From when they were kids till adulthood. But when it involved Eddy, Brett knew he couldn't mention these kind of things to him. He didn't want to burden him. And he didn't want anything to change between them. Eddy meant the world to him. He couldn't imagine what he'd do if he were to lose Eddy. The thought of that brought tears to his eyes. 'What am I supposed to do now? At this rate he'll..'

Eddy stepped closer to Brett who's hanging his head down, unwilling to face the taller man. In all honesty, Eddy was really confused as to how things escalate to this point but he felt guilty nonetheless. They were both a mess. And he intended to fix this. Whatever it took.

"I can't tell what you're thinking or what you're feeling." Eddy reached his arms out and embraced Brett, in hopes that he would calm down a little, much to the other's surprise.

"If you could just tell me, I'm willing to listen. Whatever you're feeling, it's valid. You're not crazy." Eddy's voice was calm. Like the low hums of a burbling river. A stark contrast to the raging storm that was Brett's mind. And it hit him like a splash of water. He felt like that was the only thing in the world that he wanted— no, he needed to hear. And it came from Eddy himself.

"I'm not?" Comes out Brett's muffled voice against Eddy's chest. It sounded childish and quite frankly, kinda cute, Eddy thought. 

"No." Eddy's gentle, reassuring voice soothed him, anchoring his sanity from floating away into the oblivion. He melted into the warm embrace so naturally as if it was where he belonged. To add to Eddy's already substantial guilt, he noticed how cold Brett felt in his arms. 

'He must've been waiting outside for a long time.' He tightened the hug in hopes of warming him and to also hopefully get his feelings through. 

They stood in silence for a bit and Brett seemed to have calmed down.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"It's okay. You have every right to."

"Are you mad?" Brett said, his voice uncharacteristically small. 'Shy perhaps?' Eddy chuckled by himself, unseen by the shorter man.

"Mad? At you? I could never. Simply unimaginable. I'm the one who's supposed to apologise. I was late after all."

Brett hummed, "Mhm. Very late."

"Okay, okay. I was very late and I'm sorry." Eddy ruffled Brett's hair playfully. 

Brett was only a man. When being hugged by his best friend and bantering sweetly together, he would cave in. He hugged Eddy back, wrapping his arms around the other's much warmer body. "Mkay. Apology accepted."

It felt really nice, Brett almost didn't want to break apart. But all things must come to an end. He broke the hug and cleared his throat, for some reason he couldn't quite look at Eddy directly. Every time he did so, his heart did a little dance and his stomach churned that he thought he was sick.

Brett's face was red. Eddy was unsure if that was from crying or from being embarrassed but there was an unusual urge in him to reach out and touch those adorably squish-able flushing cheeks. Alas, he refrained himself.

Brett wiped the tiniest bit of tears in the corner of his eyes, collecting himself. "Sorry bout that. I was being a little dramatic huh?"

"Well, you always were a bit of a drama queen." Eddy joked. Brett let out a small laugh, to Eddy's relief seeing that he has returned to being himself again.

They were standing very close to each other. Eddy could see the droplets of rain on Brett's skin, his reddened nose and the water dripping from his hair. "Oh, you have uh- here." Eddy reaches out, almost instinctively— he cupped Brett's face and wiped away the rain and maybe tears on his cheeks with his thumbs. His hands were warm and gentle against the other's skin. 

They gazed at each other in that short moment. Neither can tell what the other was thinking. Looking up at the taller man, a certain feeling sizzled up within him. Feelings that have been tormenting him for quite some time.

"Um, can we continue our conversation somewhere else?" Brett said, suddenly very aware by the fact that they were in public.

"Oh. Right. How about we go to my room? It's closer from here." Eddy casually grabbed Brett's hand and lead the way.

Neither noticed it, but the rain had stopped and the sky was painted with beautiful red and orange hues of sunset.


	7. VII

His skin felt hot, in contact with Eddy's. Brett couldn't even begin to comprehend his friend today. He was different somehow. And he kinda liked it. He let himself be leaded to the dorms. People were probably watching as they manoeuvre their way through the dormitory area but he didn't care. He only had his eyes on the one in front of him.

They arrived in front of Eddy's room. He let go of Brett's hand to fish the keys out from his pocket and unlocked the door. "My roommate isn't around for the weekend." He wasn't sure why he felt the need to clarify that but he did it anyway. Maybe this was the perfect opportunity for a private talk.

"Oh," was Brett's simple reply. He was dripping wet from the rain. So he stood awkwardly beside the shoes' cabinet unmoved, not wanting to soil the carpets.

"Do you want a drink or anything?"

"No, I'm f—" he declined, feeling guilty having already intruded his living space. 

"Oh you're drenched from waiting in the rain earlier. Hold on." He disappeared into his closet and came back not too long after with a towel and a change of clothes. 

"Thanks." Brett gratefully took the towel and dried himself as much as he can before entering the room.

He then changed into the clothes Eddy offered. A black sweater and a grey sweatpants.

Eddy didn't know what to do with himself. He tried not to look (too much) as his dormitory room wasn't that big to begin with.

The sweater was a tad bigger than what Brett would usually wear but it was nice and comfortable and it smelled like Eddy. 

"Well, uh, have a seat. Make yourself at home. I'll go make us some tea." He took a seat on the bed hesitantly as Eddy left the room.

He looked around the area. It was almost spotless. Like there were no actual signs of living, at least that was the case on Eddy's side of the room. The only thing that was used was probably the bed. Which looked like it hadn't been done in ages. 

Brett noticed the plushie sitting idly beside the pillow. "Oh, hello there."

He heard some sounds coming from the kitchen. Well, you could call it a kitchen, but it was more like a small pantry without a stove or any other kitchen appliances except a microwave and electric kettle that Eddy and his roommate brought in themselves. A familiar whistle of a kettle echoed through the room. 

He came back into the room with two steaming mugs. Some warm comfort, just what he needed. Brett took one from his hand carefully. 

Eddy noticed his penguin plushie sitting in Brett's lap. He smiled at the adorable sight.

He took a sip of the tea. Chamomile. Excellent choice for calming down nerves. His shoulders which had been tense for quite a while now loosened up. Nothing hit quite like a warm cup of tea on a cold rainy day.

They sat in silence for a while, only the sound of sipping was heard every now and then.

Brett put the mug away and slid down to lie on his side, closing his eyes. He was starting to feel sleepy now that he was all warmed up.

"Anytime you're ready to talk about it, I'm here." Eddy said from his seat, breaking the silence.

"Mm.. Alright." Brett mumbled. "So I had uh, a little outrage. Which is unbecoming of me."

"Uh huh. A little." Eddy raised his brows in amusement.

Brett let out a soft chuckle. "Right."

"I'm sorry you had to be on the receiving end of all that." His face dimmed, feeling guilty now. 

"It's okay." Eddy smiled with absolutely no hint of malice or anger. Brett thanked the gods for blessing him with such a kind and considerate friend. What did he ever do to deserve Eddy Chen?

There was silence as he arranged the words in his head on what to say next. The younger man waited patiently as he didn't want to push Brett into talking if he wasn't comfortable or ready for it.

"I don't really understand myself these days, Eddy. My moods and thoughts are all over the place."

"How long have you been feeling this way? Do you know why?" Eddy asked, concerned.

Brett opened his mouth for an answer but hesitated. He knew the answers despite denying it for quite some time now. He bit his lips.

"I- I think it's because all I've been thinking of is.. you."

A feeling akin to excitement bubbled in his stomach but the feeling of dread was present at the same time. The flurry of emotions in him was confusing him so much that he couldn't think of what was to happen next. 'What did I just say?! I mean.. it wasn't a lie but oh my god. That must've sounded so weird.'

".. oh." Eddy fought the grin threatening to form in the corners of his lips. He held up his hand to cover this mouth. 'Oh. So he has been thinking about me. In what way I wonder? What is this feeling?' His heart was beating and he couldn't stop smiling. 

He was so elated yet absolutely terrified of the uncertainties that lie ahead. But somewhere inside him felt like everything was clicking perfectly.

Brett spoke up first while Eddy was distracted in his own head, "No. Never mind. Pretend I never said that. I'm tired. I'm gonna sleep now. Night." And then he turned around the other way to face the wall just as quick as he finished the sentence.

Eddy was still in shock. It took him a full 10 seconds to say anything.

"O- oh, alright." He said dumbly.

'I'm gonna have to take my time to think this over.'

It wasn't too long till he could hear soft snoring that he was sure Brett really fell asleep. 'Wow, he can sleep after all that? Must've been really exhausted.' Eddy thought.

After a shower and change of clothes, he came back into the room. Brett was now facing the other way.

Eddy was unsure if it was because of the messy hair or the way he hugged the penguin plushie that Brett himself won from an UFO catcher (later given to Eddy) when they took a trip to Japan, but Brett looked absolutely endearing. His cheek was smushed against the pillow, causing his glasses to be crooked. The image brought out a small chuckle from Eddy.

He stepped closer and quietly reached out to take the glasses off as gently as he possibly can as to not wake the other up. He then pulled the blanket over, tucking him in.

Eddy sat down on the floor and placed his arms on the bed, making himself comfortable while being able to look at the sleeping man. He smiled tenderly. Watching Brett sleep so peacefully revealed a sense of serenity in him. Eddy thought that he wouldn't mind looking at this sight forever. Was this something normal to be feeling about your best friend?

He thought that he shouldn't be a creep alas he couldn't help but to stare at the slightly parted lips at such close proximity. It was a lush shade of pink. He reckoned that it must be as soft as it looked. The view was immensely fascinating. 'Has Brett always been this attractive?' 

He chased the devilish thoughts away and sighed. 'This isn't something normal to think about your friend, Eddy.'

The night for him was spent mostly deep in thoughts about some things. Did he come up with an answer? God knows. He wasn't sure when but eventually, he fell asleep as he were.


	8. VIII

Brett stirred in his sleep and opened his eyes. He couldn't register the unfamiliar room and bed he was in for a hot minute. He got up and rubbed his sleepy eyes.

He noticed a figure on the floor to his right. It was Eddy. Still fast asleep.

He reached out and pushed the bangs of Eddy's hair to the side and looked at him pitifully. 'Did he sleep here like that since last night? He could've caught a cold.'

He eyed the clock on the wall. 5 in the morning. He was wide awake having had enough sleep time. He did fall asleep quite early last night. 

'Last night?' Realisation dawned on him. The memories came rushing in like a flood and it was overwhelming. He panicked. 'Oh god, please tell me last night was just a weird, freaky dream.' 

Eddy moved and groaned in his sleep. He opened his eyes and looked up to Brett and smiled, "Mm.. morning." It was so bright. How was it possible for a person to be so dazzling this early in the morning. 

"Brett?"

And oh god, his voice. The deep and mellow timbre reminded him of the sounds produced by a cello, weighted yet surprisingly silky. Laced with an unexpected tenderness and warmth in the haziness of the morning evoked all sorts of feelings in Brett. All things considered, it was distracting. And he admittedly thought to himself, shamefully, that it was quite sexy. The way his name rolled off Eddy's tongue made his mind wander to places it definitely shouldn't be. 'Did I just think that my best friend is sexy? I've gone crazy.' He shook his head and snapped out of his unholy thoughts. 

"Morning, Eddy. Did you sleep well?"

"To be honest, no. Not really. The floor wasn't exactly the most comfortable place to sleep." He joked lightly as he rubbed his sleepy eyes. The floor sure did a number on his poor back. He got up and stretched his body, slightly revealing his decently toned abs that Brett definitely did not just glanced at. He had been going to the gym recently to make use of his free time.

"Oh, why don't you take the bed and get some more sleep? It's still early."

"Good idea." Eddy climbed onto the bed next to him. Brett was about to leave the bed when a hand on his wrist pulled him back. 

"No. Stay." He stared at him with an expression that Brett couldn't decipher. It was then, Brett discovered the weakness he never knew he had. Eddy's puppy eyes.

"It's still early and it's a Saturday. I don't have anything planned. Let's just sleep in."

And neither did Brett. Well, that was not entirely true. He had an assignment due by the end of this week but that can wait. Sleeping in on a Saturday morning with your favourite person seemed much more appealing at the moment. True enough, he yawned just as he finished his thought. 

"Okay.." He lied back down, shifting to make do with the remaining space of the single sized bed.

They have had a lot of sleepovers as kids and sharing a bed was not that unfamiliar to the both of them. However, this situation they found themselves in was new and foreign, neither knew how to act.

Brett stared at the ceiling, not daring to look any other way or move around.

"It's cold." Eddy pulled the blanket over himself. The warmth of the other immediately engulfed him. 

Their faces were merely centimetres apart. Brett spoke, very softly, not wanting to break the fragility of the moment, "Ed, you awake?" 

Eddy opened his eyes sleepily and looked at Brett, "Yeah. What's up?"

There was silence before he hesitantly spoke.

"I don't know what else to say. I guess I should apologise first for getting mad and lashing out like that. You were right. If I had problems, I should just talk it out."

Eddy hummed in response to show that he was listening, even though sleep heavily lined his eyes.

"So about last night.. I said some things.. I've been having these feelings that I myself couldn't comprehend. Whenever I try to get to the root of it, it always comes down to you. I suppose you should know that I think about you all the time." Brett played with the hem of the blanket awkwardly, trying to distract himself as he spoke.

Eddy hummed and smiled. Quite mischievously. 'How has he not noticed yet? These are such obvious signs.' The shorter of the two stared at Eddy curiously.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Brett. Now, correct me if I'm wrong."

"Yeah?" 

"So you've been thinking about me a lot lately?"

".. yeah."

"And you get this warm and fuzzy feeling in your chest whenever you do so?"

"...... yeah."

"I don't know for sure but that sounds like you actually like me." He gave Brett a cheeky little sleepy grin.


	9. IX

Brett's face paled for a moment before flushing bright pink. It was a comical sight to behold. Slowly, everything started to make sense. The answer was so simple. He just didn't want to face it. 

"I couldn't even deny that. I think.. you may be right after all." He groaned and covered his face with the pillow. 

Eddy chuckled softly in amusement. 

"I did some thinking by myself last night.. I've been pretty stressed out about some things these days. I'm sorry if I've been distant when you needed me most. I've been a terrible friend aren't I?"

Brett knew in his heart that wasn't true. He didn't blame him. He knew Eddy only did what he thought was best. He was so worried about his best friend's recent stand-offish behaviour but now he was glad that Eddy was opening up about his feelings.

"Sometimes I have these thoughts about you that, uh.. doesn't exactly describe "best friend". I thought the stress was just messing with my head. So tried to put some distance between us. That was such a bad idea. The longer I was away from you, the more you keep appearing in my thoughts and in my dreams. So, what you said yesterday got me thinking. And it all made sense now. I think you and I are much more alike than we thought. So uh, I guess what I'm trying to say is.. I like you too, Brett." His expression was so soft that it almost brought Brett to tears.

He took Eddy's hand and held it close to his chest. "I want you to know that I'm always here for you. So, please promise me. Don't ever do that again." 

"I promise." Eddy gave him a sad smile and caressed Brett's cheek. He leaned pliantly into the touch like a man deprived of affection. 

"So uh.. do you wanna.." Brett couldn't find the word for it. 'Are we going out? What are we now? A couple.. of boyfriends..?' He screamed internally at the thought of them being 'boyfriends'.

"Yes. I would love to." He leaned forward and kissed Brett on the lips. 

'Oh. I was right. It is as soft as it looks.' Eddy thought as he pulled away to look at the other man.

He let out a hearty laugh. Brett was frozen like a deer caught in headlights and it was the funniest thing Eddy had ever seen.

"I meant to ask do you wanna start dating! Not—" Brett stuttered.

"Well, too late for that now huh? You should've seen the look on your face when I kissed— oof."

Brett hit Eddy on the chest repeatedly, not enough pressure to hurt him but enough to show that he was definitely angry. And embarrassed. "Ugh, I hate you."

"I know you don't."

"You keep catching me off guard and making me flustered!" 

"I know I do." He grinned with pride.

"That was so unromantic for a first kiss." Brett pouted and all Eddy wanted to do at that moment was shut Brett up and kiss him again.

"We should start slowly. Like, I don't know, holding hands, going on dates, cuddling or something." 

Eddy smiled warmly. 'So he wants to do those things with me. He should've been more honest. God, Brett. You're such an adorable dork.'

"We have held hands before plenty of times though. We even went on dates together. Although that was when we were friends."

"Yes, well, that's not the point. God, you're throwing me off. I was hoping our first kiss to be, I don't know, at the perfect moment, the perfect scenario, fit for a perfect first kiss."

"Don't worry, I'll give you all the hugs and kisses you want to make up for it from now on. And more. How's that for a deal?" Eddy wriggled his eyebrows. 

Brett's eyes widened in disbelief. "Have you always been such a flirt?"

Eddy scooched closer and wrapped his arms around Brett, cuddling him. "Only for you. It's just a side of me you'll see more often now."

His hands rested on Brett's waist almost naturally, hoisting him closer. 

Their legs tangled underneath the blanket. Brett's body was pressed closely against Eddy's own. "Well, this is new but I like it." He snuggled in to cuddle.

A while went by in comfortable silence. Only the sounds of their breathing were heard. The morning rays were starting to peek through the curtains and birds can be heard chirping outside. 

They were so close, Brett can hear the beating of Eddy's heart. It was surprisingly calm even in this moment. He thought that he could get used to it.  
It felt so peaceful. 

Eddy felt the ghosting of Brett's breath against his neck. He basked in this special moment they were sharing. For a while, it felt like the were the only two people on earth.

Brett looked up to Eddy. They looked into each other's eyes and closed the distance between them with a kiss. Their lips brushed softly, delicately. It was short and experimental. They were getting a feel of each other. With a swift gradation of intensity, Brett leaned in for a deeper kiss. His hands were pulling at Eddy's shirt, wanting to feel more of him. The taller replied with just as much passion into the kiss. It felt euphoric. It felt right. They kept on going for a while till one of them began moaning. Neither knew whom. Hands have started to roam around. The air felt unbearably hot. 

Eddy exhaled with a shaky breath as he broke the kiss. "Woah, slow down, Brett." 

"S-sorry.." he replied breathily, a little embarrassed for getting really into the kiss. Brett's face was dusted with a shade of pink. Eddy's eyes wandered lower to the slightly swollen and glossy lips that was just on his. He brought Brett's chin up and gave him a quick peck. Chaste yet felt tremendously intimate.

They gazed at each other affectionately. They've been friends for many years however this was the first time they looked at each other in such a way. Perhaps the feelings they felt have lingered for quite some time now but never spoken. 

Eddy's heart was overflowing with happiness in ways he never felt before. He felt complete and at peace. Like the man in his embrace was the answer he had been searching all along. Brett had been there all this time and he was so blinded by his thoughts, he didn't listen to the sound of his own heart's desire.

Was this what they called a romantic epiphany? They found it little funny that they've reached this point in a fortunate stroke of serendipity. 

For the first time in a while, both them slept serenely, being held in each other's arms.


	10. X

Well, nothing much had changed. That whole thing that happened between them was almost a month ago.

Since then, Brett and Eddy had been in a much better mood overall. There were little skips in their steps as they walked. The world was suddenly rose coloured, it felt like spring all year round. They felt like they could take on anything that was thrown their way. 

The couple have decided to keep it between themselves until further notice. Not that they didn't trust their friends. But they wanted to enjoy this little bubble they were in for just a while longer. And they were loving every moment of it.

One time, Brett was in a discussion with some of his classmates and Eddy just so happened to pass by. They made eye contact in that moment. Being a sneaky little flirt that he was, Eddy blew a kiss and winked at him unnoticed by anyone except Brett himself.

Brett's eye widened at Eddy's daring stunt. It took his entire being not to blush and giggle like an idiot in love in front of his friends. Later on, Eddy got an earful from him about risking revealing their relationship and something about the importance of expressing professionalism at university. 

But in the end, he couldn't stay mad for long when Eddy snuggled closer to him. Testing his endurance with apologies and whispers of sweet nothings in his ear. And he melted faster than an ice cream under the hot Australian summer. Followed by a steamy makeout session on the couch and by the end of it he already forgotten what he was mad about in the first place. 

There were also other things like smiling over each others' cute "miss you" texts throughout their day and the sharing of secret lingering touches as they passed by each other in the corridors.

It was these little things that bring joy to both of them, and made their stressful university life easier to cope with. The reassuring feeling of someone always having their backs.

Relationships weren't new to the both of them. 

They had dated other people in the past. Most of them never really lasted. At most for Eddy was 6 months. It wasn't as devastating as he thought it would be. They bonded through similar interests, that was the reason they started dating in the first place. They had their own expectations of each other and tried to make it work but some things just couldn't be forced. Sometimes people just come and go. Eddy has accepted that as a part of life. She walked out on him, and he let her go. 

He still remembered the one thing she said before she left:

"You're a nice guy, Eddy. But I think, we both know that I'm not who you wanted me to be."

It ended on good terms. After few days of being slumped in dejection, he got over it. Thinking back to that moment of his life a year ago, he wondered if he ever cried over losing her at all? Since then, he never really found interest in dating despite his friends' efforts to set him up with guys and girls alike. 

But it was really different and new to him when it comes to dating his best friend. He knew Brett like the back of his hand. They had been friends since middle school after all. He knew what he liked and what he didn't. Like his favourite foods, his preferred pieces to listen to when he was having his bath and how lightning startled him very much so Eddy would sit with him till the thunderstorm had passed.

One of Eddy's newest discovery since the start of their relationship and also his current favourite little thing about Brett was how his face would flush at name he affectionately called him. Bretty. How he would respond sweetly to the name and Eddy felt like he was on cloud nine at the bright smile that was meant only for him.

There wasn't really a need to go through a phase where they get to know each other. But of course, there were still much to learn. After all, they've only known each other for most of their lives as best friends. And now they were dating. 

The idea of exploring the romantic side of their relationship seemed so thrilling and so far, it looked like everything was going well. It was intimidating at the start, if he were to be honest. Brett wasn't exactly always open to trying new things.

But that was all the more reason he wanted to try. He wanted to get to know things he never knew before about the other man. And Eddy couldn't wait.


	11. XI

It was a beautiful sunny day. Birds were chirping. The sky was a clear azure blue. The spring wind blew a faint scent of flowers. But Eddy just couldn't feel it. It was 8 in the morning. He would rather be in bed, sleeping till noon but here he was, waiting for his ride to the beach in front of the gate of his dormitories. In his hand was a plastic bag full of snacks he half assedly picked from the grocery store.

It was originally Brett's group of friends' idea of a weekend getaway to go swimming at the beach. But he wanted Eddy to come along. Brett said, and Eddy quote, "You drown yourself in so much work, you'll forget what the sun looks like." 

He was in doubt at the idea at first. He wouldn't know what to talk about with them anyways since he didn't know anything about their inside jokes. But when Brett made a downhearted face, he couldn't say no. He would do anything for him, even if it meant sacrificing his extra sleep on the weekend. In conclusion, Brett will surely be the death of Eddy one day. Then again, there was really nothing to lose if he got to spend time with his boyfriend.

He knew Jade and Ryan. They played together in their high school orchestra but they weren't that close. Brett were much closer to them since they were in the same class as his. He has never met Sara before but from some of Brett's stories he has heard, she looked up to him as a violinist.

The sound of a horn brought him out of his thoughts. It came from a strikingly red Toyota SUV heading his way. What caught his attention was the driver. It was Brett. He was practically beaming at him. And Eddy couldn't help but to be influenced by the energy he radiated. He smiled back and waved his hand.

The car stopped right in front of him and Brett pulled down the window.

"Hey."

"Hey back." 'Smooth, Eddy.'

By habit, he almost wanted to lean over and kiss him like they usually did when they saw each other, until he noticed three pairs of eyes from inside the car looking at him curiously.

Brett cleared his throat, and Eddy backed away subtly as to not raise suspicions.

"I'll.. go and put my luggage in the back."

He then settled in the empty passenger seat next to Brett. 'How nice of them to let me have this seat. Maybe they were being considerate.'

"Eddy. Meet Ryan, you already knew him." Brett craned his neck to the backseat to show his friends. Eddy smiled meekly at him. "Hey."

"Hey, man." Ryan greeted casually.

Sara perked up. "Hi! I've heard so much about you. You've won some major competitions in the past. You're like a role model." Sara's eyes has twinkles in them as she talked. He could see that she was definitely eager to get to know him. 

"Say hello, Jade. Don't be a stranger."

"Hello." Eddy smiled mannerly.

Jade shot Eddy a borderline disinterested look before replying, "Hey."

Sara's eyes widened at Jade's behaviour. He turned to look at Eddy, quick as lightning, "I- I'm so sorry! She's usually not like this." Sara was frantic as she whispered loudly at Jade about mannerism.

At a loss of words, Eddy smiled apologetically at them.

'This is gonna be a long ride.'  
—  
The beach was an hour drive away.

The whole ride wasn't as bad as Eddy thought. Brett, being the sweetheart that he was, tried to include Eddy in almost all of their conversation. He noticed that and appreciated that he was being so thoughtful. After all, Brett only wanted the best for Eddy. 

And Brett's friends were a really nice and chill bunch, Eddy thought. Jade, however wasn't really trying to participate. So they let her be.

Brett smiled softly at Eddy who was now talking with Sara and Ryan. He looked like he was enjoying himself. 

He was delighted that some of his closest friends were bonding to someone very special to him. For a moment, he felt bad for keeping away the fact that they were dating. But he was figuring out the right moment to reveal it. Surely, it would be soon. 

They were sharing snacks now.

"Hey, I want some of those." Brett whined realising he was a little hungry from not getting breakfast before the journey.

"Nah, you just keep your eyes on the road." Eddy reached for a stick of Pocky from the box and brought it close to Brett, brushing against his lips.

"Oh, thank you." He leaned forward only to bite air. "What.."

Eddy giggled playfully as he munched on the Pocky that was supposed to be fed to Brett.

"Haha, very funny. Now feed me properly or I'm resigning as the driver."

"Okay okay, here you go." He gave in and took out another out to feed him.

Three pairs of keen eyes watched them in fascination, unnoticed by them.

"It's good to see you guys getting along again." Sara said, as she looked at Brett and Eddy.

"Yeah, I thought you guys had a little argument some time ago." Ryan said, questioning.

Brett and Eddy looked at each other in amusement and smiled knowingly.

"Yeah, but we're good now."

"Better than ever."

They were getting along so well.

'Too well.' Jade thought.


	12. XII

Jade smelled something fishy. And not just because they were at the beach. But there was something they weren't telling them and she was determined to find out what.

Eddy was drinking a soda can, taking a breather from swimming and just enjoying the sea breeze. Brett was somewhere in the distance within his viewing. He could be seen building sandcastles with Sara and Ryan. They were laughing and fooling around, having a good time. 

He noticed Eddy was looking in his direction. Brett jumped up and waved excitedly at him. He waved a hand back. The blue sea was sparkling under the afternoon sun. But none paralleled the brightness of Brett's breathtaking smile.

Brett enjoyed swimming in his free time. Eddy accompanying him for a few laps at the campus swimming pool had been their weekly activity as of late. He was glad he agreed to come along on the trip. If Brett was happy, then so was he. 

"Hey. You enjoying yourself?" Jade greeted as she sat beside Eddy under the cool shade of the parasol.

It was a little odd of her to approach him given her attitude this entire trip but he decided to roll with it.

"Yep. It's nice to unwind after a tiring week." If given a choice, he would rather spend time at home catching up to some Netflix shows with Brett cuddling up against him. But a change of pace seemed nice. 

"On that weekend Brett went to hangout with you. Did you guys have fun?" She smiled as she tried to strike up a conversation with him. 

The smile was the plastic kind. Eddy can tell that much. She was a sharp one. 'Gotta be careful,' he thought.

"We went to the bookstore and then get coffee later on. It was great." Eddy answered short and confidently. The least he talked, the lower the chances of her finding out.

"Good! Love that for you guys. Is that it? Nothing else after that?"

"Yep. Straight home."

Jade let out a hum. A very skeptical hum. 'He's tight lipped huh?'

"What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing. It's just weird that Brett didn't post anything on his Insta that day. I thought there would be pictures of you guys. Also oddly enough, he came in with a cold during the quartet rehearsal on Monday that week. That was weird considering he should've been indoors with you during the thunderstorm. It was as if he was rained on.."

'Oh, so now she decided to talk and she's talking a lot.' Eddy stayed silent. It was downright terrifying how perceptive this woman was. 

"Probably allergies. Maybe it was the pollens." He tried to sway the path this conversation was heading.

"Maybe. Anyway, he was late, and his hair was all messed up. He was wearing an outfit I've never seen before, it was too baggy on him."

Eddy broke out in cold sweat but he tried to keep smiling as Jade rambled on. He wished she would stop talking, and seriously considered stuffing her face with one of the sandwich on the plate in front of him in order to do so.

"Y'know what else was weird? His violin. It wasn't his, I can tell. He was using a violin that looked so strikingly similar to-" She stopped talking when she noticed that Eddy was looking at her with wide worried eyes. Suddenly, everything started to piece together in Jade's head. 

"..yours."

They stared at each other in silence. Jade pointed at Eddy with her mouth in awe. Like they were having a telepathic moment, Eddy pointed at himself and nodded back in response. 

Jade's mouth gaped so wide, Eddy was concerned it was going to get dislocated, and this entire getaway would've ended tragically with a trip to the hospital.

He quietly whispered an apology to Brett in advance. 'I'll explain it to him later. But first I gotta find a way to keep Jade's mouth shut.'

"So, if my hunches were right, you guys are.. dating?" 

"Wait, you had suspicions? Since when?"

"Since you guys started exchanging looks between yourselves. It looked like you were just waiting to pounce at each other. Maybe it was just me, but god, get a room."

Eddy groaned, face in his hands. "Was it that obvious?"

"I've got a pretty good sense," she laughed.

"Jade, you can't tell anyone. At least not yet. Brett and I agreed to keep it between ourselves for now."

"Oh. I see. Well, okay. I'll respect his decision."

"Thank you," he breathed a sigh of relief. 'That wasn't so hard,' Eddy thought.

A while went by in silence between them. She looked as if she was deep in thoughts.

"You see, he was so distraught when you started distancing yourself from him. It was kinda stressing him out but he couldn't do anything about it. No offence, but we lowkey hated you for a bit. But it's all good now, I'm glad you guys settled that."

"None taken," he brushed it off. 

"Sorry if I was being wary of you. We care about him. Brett's a good guy. I know you've known him for a long time. We just want him to be happy. And he is, with you. I can see that. I'm really happy for you and him."

Eddy was taken aback by the sudden honesty. The wariness he felt for her dissipated almost immediately. 'So Jade was only looking out for her friend.'

Sara shouted and waved from the distance, "Hey guys! We're gonna get on the banana boat! Wanna come?"

"Coming!" Jade shouted back, finding her excitement once again for the beach trip.

"So, we're cool?" Eddy asked.

"Yep, we're cool," she said as she got up. "But if you hurt him in any way, we won't forgive you." Jade said in a quiet and menacing whisper. 

Like the flip of a switch, she was back to her usual cheerful self again. "Cmon. Let's go!" She ran towards their group of friends with Eddy following behind her.

He made a mental note to not piss her off in anyway possible.


	13. XIII

Everyone was feeling a little peckish after a while of swimming indicating it was almost time for lunch. They've brought some packed lunchboxes and a cooler filled with cold beverages. As they were setting up the picnic blanket, Eddy pulled Brett away in the midst of their lunch preparation.

They were behind their SUV and Eddy made sure nobody was within earshot.

"What's up?" Brett asked.

Brett could see the doubt in Eddy's face and he was starting to worry that he wasn't enjoying himself on this trip. That this was all forced on him. 

"Something wrong, Ed?" He asked again with concern, his hand touching Eddy's cheek.

Eddy was in doubt before speaking but decided he would just come clean, "Jade found out."

"WHAT?" Brett whisper-shouted as to not attract attention.

"I'm sorry. I tried to distract her but she was too good. Also, I'm lowkey kinda scared of her." 

"Well, it can't be helped." He sighed.

"But it's fine. She promised not to say anything about it."

"It's all good then. Let's just enjoy the rest of today." He was about to join the rest of the group when Eddy pulled his hand back.

"Brett, I think it's about time we tell them. They're your friends and they care about you. Believe in them. They deserve to know."

Brett looked at the taller man with uncertainty, considering it. Eddy was right. It was about time. There was no other perfect timing than right now.

"Hey, don't worry so much. I'm here with you. We'll do this together, okay?" Eddy squeezed Brett's hand trying to convince him that everything will be okay when he noticed that the other man was feeling nervous.

Brett nodded to himself, finding his confidence to face his friends. "Yeah.. yeah. You're right. Let's do it."

They walked back to their friends, hand in hand, no longer hiding it. There was no reason to. Not anymore.  
—  
Ryan nearly choked on his drink. 

Jade screamed.

And Sara was furious.

It went much better than he thought, if Brett would say so himself.

After a lengthy explanation, Sara hugged Brett, saying how she was so happy for them both. She wasn't mad at them for hiding it but she was a little sad that Brett didn't trust his friends. 

The rest of the trip went so well. With nothing left to hide and no reason to be on their guard, Brett and Eddy enjoyed the time with their friends even more.

And with that, all was forgiven.  
—  
They were basking in the sunset before ending their trip and going back to their everyday life. The sky was painted with bold and brilliant shades of red and orange. Rays of sunshine reflected on the surface of the water and sparkled beautifully.

Brett and Eddy were sitting on a bench facing the sea. They sat in comfortable silence, taking in the mesmerising view while enjoying the presence of the other. Brett had his head resting on Eddy's shoulder. The sound of waves was so calming, he was nearly lulled to sleep. They had their fingers intertwined together. His lips curled into a little smile, loving everything about this very moment.

The breeze blew through Brett's hair messing it up. But Eddy thought that he looked nice anyway. In the golden rays of light, smiling brightly and innocently.

The sea was like any other. But dare they say, it was much more beautiful now that they were here together.


	14. XIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of my favourite chapter uwu

Brett was browsing through Neflix on his television. He was feeling oddly bored now after having practiced for a few hours. 

Suddenly, the sound of keys being turned was heard from the front door all the way to the living room. He smiled. Brett knew who it was as there was only ever one other person who had a copy of the key to his apartment.

Shuffling was heard and the door closed shut. Eddy emerged from the corner, his face downcast and drained of life.

"Hey." Brett smiled at him.

"Hey." Eddy cracked a smiled back, but Brett can see it wasn't as brilliant as it used to be. He abandoned his backpack to the side and flopped face first onto the couch next to Brett.

"You okay?"

"Yea- no. I don't know.." His voice muffled.

"Aw.. Come here." He motioned for Eddy to come closer.

Eddy crawled forward and gratefully rested his head on Brett's soft and ample thighs.

He gently caressed Eddy's hair. Running his fingers through the soft tuft. He didn't want to say or ask anything. Eddy seemed like he had a rough day. The last thing he wanted was for the other man to bring it up and stress over it again. And so he played with his hair mindlessly, lost in thoughts.

Eddy appreciated the sentiment, he really did. He found it therapeutic and comforting to be able to feel Brett's affectionate touches. He breathed slowly, trying to calm himself and disassociate from his troubled thoughts. 

After a while, Eddy broke the silence. 

"I feel like I'm constantly stuck between 'I'm proud of myself' and 'I'm not doing enough'." He murmured in a weary voice so small, Brett wondered where did the ever so sprightly Eddy went. 

'I guess we all have one of those days..' Brett thought.

"Eddy, we both know this. You're a great person. You always do your best."

"That's just what they all say. They're always praising me. I can't help but to try and meet up to the expectations. But when I couldn't, I feel terrible and disappointed in myself. I'm tired.." 

It broke his heart seeing his loved one looking so dejected. If there was only a way for Eddy to know his worth, he would gladly do so in a heartbeat.

"Hey." Brett spoke tenderly as he turned Eddy's head to look him in the eyes.

"Just so you know, you don't have to search for approval from me. You did your best. That's all that matters. No matter how you did, will never change how I feel about you. I hope you understand that and not beat yourself up too much. It can't bear to see you looking so glum." He stroked Eddy's cheek sadly, hopefully getting his feelings through.

"I wish I could do more. But all I can offer is some words of comfort. Sorry.." Brett said regretfully.

Simply by hearing this from Brett filled Eddy's heart with overflowing happiness. He wondered what did he ever do to deserve Brett Yang. 

"I know. I've known that for a long time. That is why I'm glad I've met you. You understand me like no one does. And I'm so grateful that we're together like this. Thank you for saying that."

He looked up to his significant other and smiled contently at the realisation that no matter what, he would always have someone on his back.


	15. XV

Eddy would like to think that his relationship with Brett was like a game of charades.

Eddy could read Brett pretty well, if he would say so himself. That said, Brett wasn't actually easy to read. Note: his deadpan face. His "messages" tend to be rather cryptic.

Perhaps it was the years of experience with his habits and quirks that has made Eddy quite knowledgable of his best friend.

During their teenage years, where time was in an overabundance, Eddy would hangout at Brett's house, and they would spend the time playing video games. Occasionally, when they've gotten bored, they would come up with their own games. Most of it required the creative use of their violins. Their favourite game was called "Violin Charades".

The topic was wide. It could range from Super Smash Bros to Classical Music Composers. And literally anything in between that was in their area of interest.

Eddy was good at expressing himself. He purposely made it easy for Brett to guess. He loved the beaming smile on Brett's face as he jumped up and down excitedly whenever he guessed the correct answer. His win was a small price to pay in exchange for something so priceless. 

Brett on the other hand was a puzzle to solve. He laughed when he remembered how Brett sucked so badly at expressing himself. Sometimes, the clues would have a really advanced logic behind it to the point of obscurity. It was near impossible for Eddy to guess. However, he managed to pull through sometimes and guessed correctly thanks to his understanding on how Brett's unique mind worked. That was something he secretly prided in. 

Remembering back to those good ol' days brought a smile to Eddy's face. Things were much simpler then.

Eddy wasn't sure if Brett has gotten even worse at charades because he couldn't quite read him recently.

—

Bret was in his music history class, staring at the word on the projector screen in a daze. His professor's words seemed to float and echo meaninglessly in his head. He wondered whose idea it was to place a history class at 8 in the morning. It wasn't the most effective time to absorb boring historical facts. The vibration of his phone from his pocket brought him out of his thoughts.

Eddy: Morning 💕 

He smiled at the text. 'He used an emoji.'

Brett: Morning. Just woken up?

Eddy: Yep. What are you doing later?

Brett: Gonna get a light breakfast before the next class. What's up?

Eddy: Coffee at 10? Usual place?

Brett: Sounds great.

Eddy: Alright see you soon.

—

Their relationship has been going quite well, Eddy thought. He has been making effort to meet up often and spend time together with Brett whenever he can.

They met up at the bus stop. Eddy found it amusing whenever they were here, he would blush remembering that one fateful night that brought them together. They took the short walk to the cafe together, enjoying the morning sun.

After they have made their order, Brett chose the seats on the balcony, far from the bustling of people.

As they were enjoying their daily dose of caffeine, they talked about everything and anything. Their problems and plans for the semester break. Well, at least Eddy was trying to. 

He noticed that Brett seemed a bit distracted sometimes as he was talking. But decided not to dwell on it. 

Brett bit into his éclair, smudging a little bit of chocolate on the corner of his mouth.

Eddy laughed at Brett's clumsiness. "Here, you got some-" He reached out to wipe it off with his thumb.

Before he could reach him, Brett recoiled from his touch. Almost too quickly.

Eddy was stunned at his reaction. He slowly retracted his hand. 

"I- It's okay. I got this." He wiped his mouth with a napkin nervously. 

There was an uncomfortable silence that ensued. Time felt like it stretched forever. Eddy was perplexed. His thoughts were racing at every possible reasons as to why things went wrong. He was starting to think if it was his fault.

"Sorry.. I'm.. I'm not used to.. this outside." Brett stuttered.

"It's okay, Brett. You can tell me if you're not comfortable with anything." Eddy tried to convince Brett even though his own heart was wavering.

Brett could see the hurt that peeked through in Eddy's face. It brought out some terrible emotions in him. Most prominently, guilt. He didn't mean to hurt Eddy. In the first place, he didn't even know why he was behaving this way. Eddy had been such a sweetheart. He hated this feeling. He wished he could be better for him.

"Thank you for being understanding." That was all Brett could say. His face was sombre but he still tried his very best to smile. 

Brett has always been somewhat of an enigma. But Eddy thought that he has never felt distant anymore than this very moment. He was left with even more questions as they parted their ways for the day and went on with their daily lives.


	16. XVI

The clock showed 2 in the morning. Brett had morning class in a few hours. He should really sleep soon in order to be a functional human being the next day. He tossed and turned in his bed. No matter what sleeping posture he tried, he just couldn't for the life of him fall asleep.

The voices. They were here again. He tried closing his ears. But they just kept whispering such daunting things. Things he wished weren't true.

If you screw this up, he'll leave you.

'Stop! That won't happen. I won't let it!'

There are things out of your control, Brett.

But as time went on, he started to believe that they might be right after all.

His mind had wandered into the deep dark abyss that was his thoughts. He was happy. So happy. Being with his best friend was the happiest he has been in his life. But he was also terrified.

The closer he was to Eddy, the louder and more frequent these voices appear.

Brett opened up his chat with Eddy to distract himself. Eddy had wished him good night about two hours ago before going to bed himself. He smiled warmly at their texts. He had told Brett to get to bed early and not to stress himself too much. 'Funny, when he should've taken his own advice.'

Brett found that looking through their past conversations helped calm him down. It kept the voices away for a while. He felt the sleepiness heavy on his eyelids. He could see a vision of Eddy. He imagined himself being in the safety of his arms, as he whispered to him that everything was going to be alright. 

—

Eddy had invited Brett out for a walk in the park. There weren't much people around as it was the end of the semester, most students were already home for the break. 

As they were walking, they talked. Eddy had almost wanted to reach out and hold Brett's hand. But decided not to, fearing rejection. 

Since that day at the cafe, things went about as usual. But Eddy knew something was on Brett's mind that he wouldn't say. He could see it in the way sometimes Brett got lost in thoughts in the middle of a conversation. And how he became wary of physical touches.

They decided to take a seat on the bench by the lake. Then the sudden realisation dawned on Brett. 'Is this.. a date?'

What was the definition of a date anyway? They've been here countless times together as friends. Why was this any different? Friends could go on dates too. If that was the case, then what makes it different now that they were together? These were the thoughts going through Brett's mind.

"Hey." Eddy broke the silence.

He flinched. "Y-yeah?"

"You were staring off into space again."

"Did I?" He laughed hoping to brush the issue off.

Eddy sighed. He couldn't handle this anymore. He needed to know why. And most importantly, he wanted to know if it was his fault that something went wrong somewhere. And if it was.. well, he didn't think it through. But all he knew was that he needed to figure this out.

"Brett.. are you okay?"

"What do you mean? I'm fine aren't I?" 'Am I?'

Eddy didn't believe one bit of it. So he prodded again. "Be honest with me, Brett. Please?" So many questions had been tormenting him for the past week.

Brett looked at Eddy in doubt. He wasn't sure if it was worth bringing up. He could brush it off again but Eddy had looked so sorrowful. After all, things should be discussed, not bottled up.

"It's about us."

That single sentence struck fear into his heart. Was this it? Was this the extent of their relationship? For a moment, Eddy's world felt like it was crashing down. 

"I'm not sure-"

"Do you doubt my feelings..?" Eddy's face was so sad, Brett's heart broke a little.

"No! I don't but.." His palms felt sweaty. He gripped the knees of his pants as he forced his words out. "I doubt mine." 

"I've only came to realise my feelings not long ago. I don't know since when I've been harbouring these feelings for you but I strongly believe they're real and I want to give us a chance.." his words began to trail off.

"But?" Worry started to surface in Eddy's expression. He knew start of their relationship was a little shaky from the entire ordeal. But things were going so well since then, he didn't want to lose what they had.

"I'm scared, Eddy." His voice was small, and trembling. "I've been in relationships before. But I've never been as scared as I am right now."

"Why?"

"It's because it's you." 

Eddy was taken aback by the answer. "What do you mean by that? Did I do something-"

"No! I mean, it's not you. You're perfect. You're funny, you're charming, you're smart and talented. God, anyone would be so lucky to have you." Eddy flushed at the barrage of compliments.

"You.. you're a great friend. I've known you for years to know that and.. that is also precisely why I'm scared. If anything were to happen, I wouldn't only lose a partner, I'd lose you as a friend as well. And the thought of that terrifies me so much. I don't know what'd I do without—"

He reached out and grasped his hands, stopping Brett from continuing. "Hey. Look at me."

Brett looked up to him, Eddy can see the fear and anxiety in his eyes.

"Why would you think that I would let anything happen to us? Even if something did, which is beyond our control, I still wouldn't give up on our friendship for the world no matter what would happen."

".. really?"

"Really." Eddy smiled reassuringly.

He looked at Eddy in the eyes, searching for any signs of hesitation only to find unwavering determination. Having heard Eddy's resolve made Brett feel like a burden has been lifted off of his chest. What was he worried of in the first place?

Eddy leaped forward and hugged the other man tightly, burying his face in the nape of Brett's neck. "God, you had me worried sick. I thought I did something wrong to scare you off."

Brett returned the hug. "I'm so sorry that I doubted you. That I doubted us. I'm sorry that all I've been doing is worrying you."

He pat his head. He felt so relieved. He had missed this. It seemed so long ago that they held each other like this.

"You should trust me a little. Isn't that how relationships work? From now on, we're not keeping anything from each other, okay?"

"Okay." 

Charades should just stay as a game, Eddy thought.


	17. XVII

Eddy's been over at Brett's apartment many times but he has never spent the night there. The mid semester break was coming up. They both decided not to go home. To his surprise, Brett had suggested to him that he spend the week at his place.

Oh, the way his face blushed as he stuttered the words out. Eddy thought that he looked cute anyway when he brought up the idea over dinner at their favourite sushi restaurant last weekend.

Brett beamed when Eddy agreed to it. He excitedly listed out all the things he had planned out for them like watching Netflix shows and playing video games, really nothing new from their usual hangouts. But Eddy would be staying over this time. There had also been talks about a short trip. But they were just taking it easy and keeping an open mind seeing how the week would play out.

—

Eddy reached Brett's apartment. He let himself in and set his luggage aside. They took a seat on the couch, watching random shows that was on the TV as they talked.

"What are we having for dinner tonight?" Eddy suddenly brought up.

"I'm sick of eating takeout for the past few weeks." Brett groaned.

"Let's cook something instead."

"You? Cook?" He asked skeptically.

"Hey, I'll have you know that I'm perfectly capable of cooking a decent meal for myself." Eddy spoke in confidence. He strongly believed that cooking was survival skill that everyone, regardless of gender should have.

"Alright then, master chef. What shall we be dining tonight?" Brett spoke in a regal-like voice.

Eddy laughed. "Let's see what we can work with."

They went to the kitchen, heading straight to the fridge. After all, ingredients were a crucial part of cooking.

Eddy wasn't surprised to find some bottled water, a half eaten chocolate bar and some random condiments when he opened the door of the fridge. He tsk-tsk in disapproval. "You really out here living like this."

"Hey, to be fair I'm a college student living alone." Brett huffed trying to defend his bare minimum lifestyle.

"This calls for some grocery shopping."

—

"Alright, what's first on the list?" Brett asked as he pushed the shopping cart.

"Shrimps and scallops." Eddy replied as he scrolled through the list on his phone.

"Wait, what are you gonna cook again?"

"No, it's what are we gonna cook. It's called Frutti di Mare. Meaning "Fruits of the Sea." Basically it's seafood pasta."

"Fancy. But I'm not really good at cooking.."

"It's fine. I'll teach you." Eddy assured.

—

They were at the shellfish area when Eddy turned around only to find that Brett was had disappeared along with the cart. He looked around in puzzlement. "Brett?"

'He's off to his own adventure again.' He chuckled softly to himself as continued searching for the ingredients he needed.

—

Brett realised he has been running out of snacks. Without much thought, he unknowingly left Eddy to his own as he made a beeline towards the goal in mind. He skimmed through the chips section looking for something specific. When he found it, he took two large bags and put it into the cart. He should be hospitable towards his guest. 

Eddy walked by the aisles searching for the other when he noticed a familiar figure hunched beside the shelves, searching for something. It was Brett, completely lost in thoughts. He walked over and poked him. "What'chu searching for?" The action made the other man yelped in surprise.

"God, you scared me. I was just looking for some M&M's."

"Oh, it has to be-" 

"- peanuts." They said aloud in unison and shared a laugh together. 

Eddy noticed some new items in the cart. "These are.. Lay's Salt & Vinegar. But you don't like this flavour."

"But I know you do." Brett replied nonchalantly as he kept searching the shelves of candies. "Oh, found them."

He put two bags of the said candies into the cart, not noticing the little blush that crept up Eddy's face as he smiled warmly at the thought of Brett thinking about him.

"Got all the stuff you need?"

"Mhm. Let's go home," replied Eddy, all smiles as he walked forward and lead the way.

Brett pushed the cart and followed behind curiously.

—

As soon as they were back at the apartment, Eddy immediately prepped the raw ingredients and put the fettuccine on a boil. He appreciated that Brett had offered to do some of the menial tasks such as cutting.

Eddy then readied the pan and quickly sauté some garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil and butter. Few seconds later, he added in the seafood.

"Pass me the white wine?" Eddy held his hand out. Brett looked around the scattered items on the countertop searching for what could be the white wine.

"This?" He passed the glass bottle containing a clear liquid inside.

"Thank you." He gave the seafood a good splash of the wine. Brett watched in wonderment at Eddy's swift movements as he worked. The smell was amazing, he could feel his stomach starting to grumble.

"Wanna try?" Eddy offered.

"Huh? Me? But—"

"Relax. Here. Just keep stirring." Eddy passed the ladle to Brett and placed him in front of the stove. He could feel Eddy closing in behind him. The feel of his hand as he grasped Brett's own firmly. He followed the lead of that hand as it guided him. "That's it. Just like that." He swallowed nervously when Eddy spoke praises just beside his ear. Did he just hold his breath for a moment?

Eddy then moved away to sprinkle in some extra seasoning while Brett stirred carefully as he was instructed. He added in a hefty amount arrabbiata sauce into the pan. "Good, good. Just keep that up."

The pasta was already cooked so Eddy went ahead and strained it to add it into the mix.

"And then we toss them. Mixing the fettuccine with the seafood. You're doing great, Brett." Eddy smiled with pride seeing him completely focused on his task. He quickly brought out his phone and took a picture of him.

"Oh my god. No, don't take a picture!" Brett giggled as he tried covering his face in embarrassment. 

"This is going on the 'gram with the caption "Master Chef Junior in action"." He earned a laugh from the shorter of the two.

It just dawned on Eddy, the domesticity of this moment they were sharing. There was a warm feeling in his chest. He was happy. If there was such thing as magic, then he wished from the bottom of his heart, for time to stop. So that he could live in this moment for just a little while longer.

"Why don't you go and prep the table while I finish this up?" Eddy suggested.

"Okay." Brett let the other take over.

—

The rest of the night went wonderfully.

The moan that Brett made when he took his first bite of the food made Eddy choke a little on his water. But he tried his best not to get distracted.

Brett had showered Eddy's cooking with so much praises. He laughed in amusement at his exaggerated reactions but gratefully accepted the compliments.

They talked about random things. Such as plans for the week. And eventually it came to Eddy's sleeping arrangements.

"Well, I'll just take your spare bedroom, if that's okay with you."

"No! Um.. I mean.." Brett half yelled, all too suddenly.

Eddy looked at the other man across him in bewilderment.

Feeling flustered, Brett collected himself and continued, "What I meant was.. you could just sleep in my room. I've got a double bed."

"Oh."

Perhaps the week has something interesting in store for them.


	18. XVIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //nsfw ish? they were just talking (about dirty stuff)//

While he was in the shower, Brett had cursed at himself for bringing up the matter so ungracefully.

Brett loved Eddy, he knew that. And he was more certain now than ever.

The natural chemistry they share was so apparent to everyone around them. Anyone can _see_ it, they were so spiritually in tune with each other. The years of friendship had nurtured that chemistry. There were no issues in that aspect.

Physical relationships however, were another thing _entirely_. He didn't quite know how to approach it. Especially with Eddy. It wasn't that he was not experienced in the area. Brett and Eddy has been very open with their sexuality with each other. They came out shortly after graduating from high school. Since then, Brett has dated a few number of men. But it has never gotten to the extent of being this serious.

They kissed often, it wasn't a problem. They also made out every now and then. And maybe some fondling here and there while they were at it. Eddy had been so sweet as that was as far as he took it.

Everything was according to Brett's pace. Eddy wouldn't do anything to rush things and freak him out. And Brett adored him for being so considerate of his feelings.

—

They cleaned themselves up after dinner and got ready to go to bed. Needless to say, it was done in perplexing silence as both of them were distracted. Most likely by the same thing. 

Eddy made himself comfortable next to the other man in bed. The room was lit by a soft orange hue from the bedside lamp. They laid in silence. The awkwardness hung heavily in the air. Eddy couldn't take it much longer and so he spoke.

"Do you.. feel yourself thinking about.. me?"

"Wha..! What are you talking about suddenly?!" Brett stammered. 

"Oh, you don't think of me in that way? At all..?" A hint of disappointment in his voice.

Both of them knew they would get to this point, eventually. But Eddy never brought it up. He tip toed around the issue but never once jumping right into it. That was, until as of this moment.

There was a moment of silence before Brett spoke, in a very small voice, Eddy almost missed it, ".. sometimes."

Brett would be lying though if he were to say he didn't think about Eddy on some lonely nights, in the comfort of his bed. He would imagine running his hands down Eddy's torso, feeling the crevices of his abs that Brett knew Eddy worked hard to build. And then Eddy would leave butterfly kisses along his neck, going down to his stomach, and getting lower to—

Oh my god. It felt so _weird_ , but not in a bad way, to be thinking about doing.. _things_ with your best friend, Brett thought.

"Alright then, show it to me." Eddy got up and left the bed, heading towards the study table.

"Excuse me?" Brett sat up on the bed.

Eddy pulled the chair and placed it beside the bed, facing Brett. He took a seat, crossing his legs, almost arrogantly, like he was some kinda CEO of a big company, Brett thought.

His smile was playful. It was a Cheshire smile. Brett can see several expressions flash across his face all at once. Amusement, teasing and expecting. Like he was demanding to be entertained.

"What? _What_ do you want me to _do_?" Brett asked in confusion.

“ _You._ “

"What..?"

"I want you to jerk yourself off." Eddy said ever so casually.

"What?!" Brett shrieked incredulously at the suggestion. His eyes widened in disbelief.

"Think of this as practice so that we can get comfortable getting physical in our relationship. Just try to be at ease in my presence. I'm not gonna do anything."

Brett stilled for a moment to assess the idea. 

'Oh, he's _actually_ giving it a thought.' Eddy watched Brett intently, curious as to what his answer would be.

Brett loved practicing and improving himself but never in his life he thought he would be practicing for such a _thing_. 

'But maybe it wasn't such a bad idea..'


	19. XIX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //nsfw warning: handjob lol//

Oh, it was such a _bad idea_ , thought Brett.

"Don't look so much."

"Well, that defeats the whole purpose of this exercise then." Eddy laughed, almost too smugly for Brett's liking.

He had his back against the wall and his shorts was pulled down slightly. There was a bottled of lube discarded carelessly on the bed at his side. His hand was in a fist around his member, working to get it erected. He didn't know how Eddy had convinced him to get to this point but here they were.

"Go a little faster. Yes, just like that. Good. And maybe touch the tip too."

'I thought he said he wasn't going to do anything? Technically, he _isn't_ but..'

"Do you touch yourself _down there_ too?" Eddy questioned curiously.

"You're asking too much." Brett hissed harmlessly.

Eddy laughed and brought his hands up, backing off from the topic.

"Hey, fondle the base too."

"That wasn't enough justification to use the word 'fondle', Eddy." But he brought his free hand to the bottom of his member and touched it in synchronisation with his other hand. The pleasure was building up.

"I can't see. Pull up your hoodie a bit."

Since both of his hands were occupied, he bit a small part of the fabric to keep his hoodie up, revealing the supple skin of his stomach that protruded a little. 

He had insecurities regarding that part of his body but Eddy had convinced him that he loved every single part of him, including his imperfections. 

Plus, Eddy really liked snaking his hand under Brett's shirt to caress the soft fatty tissue whenever he cuddled him from behind.

"Keep those hands moving, _Bretty_." His voice deep and assertive. 

Brett’s breath hitched. Now, that was just unfair. 'Using that name is foul play.' His face blushed, more than it already was looking like a tomato.

Eddy grinned at Brett’s reaction, letting out an amused exhale of air. ‘He is so cute.’

‘Is this a game to him?’ Brett felt like he was about to combust instantly on the spot. But that was what Eddy would've wanted. And he wasn't about to give it up that easily. Brett Yang was a man of patience.

"Open your legs a little. What are you trying to hide?" Eddy chuckled. Clearly, having way too much fun having his way with his surprisingly compliant boyfriend.

Brett was almost fed up with his 'demands' but obeyed. He felt so embarrassed and _exposed_. Alas, he couldn't deny the heat that traveled to his groin when Eddy commanded him like _that_.

As weird as it sounded, Brett was thankful for being able to bite onto something. He didn't think it was going to be _this_ hard to keep his voice down. He was doing well at the start but it was getting increasingly difficult to do so as Eddy kept giving his 'instructions'.

He had no intention of finishing himself in the first place. He would only give Eddy the half the pleasure. Not all the way. He didn't know why but he felt like if he actually came, it would be like he had lost or something. At what? He didn't know. 

Why was he punishing himself like this? Was it ego? How childish, he thought.

Brett had closed his eyes, trying to keep his focus on _not_ bringing himself to the edge. He noticed Eddy had gone quiet for a while now so he opened his eyes to check on him.

Eddy's face was dark with desire and a sort of devilish aura oozed off him. He was looking at him, taking in every inch of Brett visible to his eyes like a beast starved.

Brett almost came in that very moment. 

'Oh, he's _looking_. He's really looking at _me_.' 

Had he not clenched his hand down immediately, he would've been in a hot mess right now. He stopped his all of his movements.

"Eddy. Come here." He opened his arms, motioning for the other.

Was it a plead or a demand? Eddy couldn't quite tell from his expression. All he knew was that Brett _wanted_ him. And his wish was Eddy's command.

Eddy moved towards the bed and crawled closer to Brett, as he was told to.

Brett sat on Eddy's lap, wrapping his arms around his neck and his legs around his torso. 

Brett only had to look once into his deep, dark brown eyes for Eddy to know what he needed to do. Their lips met in a burning hot passion. Tongues danced desperately wanting to feel more of each other. Brett bit the bottom of Eddy's lips when he felt a hand on his ever growing erection.

He broke the kiss and let out a gasp. Eddy's hand started moving up and down the shaft. It was warm and all squelchy from the lube previously applied.

"Everything all together is.." 'Oh, it was just too much.' He couldn't finish his sentence as his own gasp interrupted him.

Eddy licked Brett's earlobe, trailing down to his neck. He breathed against the wet skin, not once stopping the motions of his hand, "Do you feel good?"

"Yes.." Brett choked out his words in between moans. The pleasure was so overwhelming, he struggled to form sentences.

He hid his face in the nape of Eddy's neck as he felt the tightening of a knot in the pit of his stomach. He was close. Eddy could tell by the way Brett's body tensed up. He took that as a signal and fastened his pace. Brett had started calling out Eddy's name repeatedly, pleading.

"Eddy.. Ed..! Ah—" His hands grasped the back of Eddy's shirt desperately for something to hold onto as his body trembled from waves of pleasure from his orgasm. Eddy's name has turned into incoherent sobs.

They sat in silence for a while. Eddy could feel the faint remnants of a tremor from Brett in his embrace, still sensitive after coming down from his high. His breathing had evened out to normal again.

He stroked the back of Brett's hair, comforting him. "You okay?"

"Mm.." A hum was all he could muster in a daze as he rested his head on Eddy's shoulder.

Brett felt _something_ poking him down there. He stared down in amusement to the obvious tent on Eddy's sweatpants. "Well, looks like we have unfinished business here."

"Oh." Eddy blushed.

"I can help—" Brett offered.

"Nah, it's fine. It'll go away." 'Maybe.'

"Are you sure?" Brett yawned as he finished his sentence.

"Yes. Let's just sleep." Eddy smiled and kissed the forehead of his sleepy boyfriend.

Brett was _tired_. More mentally than physically. Has sex always been this tiring? All he wanted to do now was cuddle up to Eddy and fall asleep wrapped in his warmth.

And that was exactly what he did.


	20. XX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops. Sorry I was away on a vacation with my family during the holidays. Enjoy this double update!

In terms of video game skills, Eddy wasn't that much better than Brett. But how on _earth_ was he beating him at every round of Mario Kart they have played throughout this evening? Figuring that out was beyond him. As of now, he was at 2nd place. Eddy's go-kart was just in his line of sight. Perhaps this was the round that he would finally beat Eddy.

He noticed Eddy had picked up a _red_ shell (of course, it just _had_ to be red) and he panicked. "No, Eddy. Please. You can't be serious."

"Sorry, Brett. All is fair in love and war." He smirked apologetically, quite condescending if Brett would say so himself, before tapping the button. 

"No!" Brett watched helplessly as the shell hit his go-kart knocking it over. The other drivers passed by him as he regained his pace again, leaving him in the last place.

Eddy hollered much to Brett's annoyance when he was in 1st place by a huge margin from all other drivers. Judging from his placement and the laps left, he wasn't going to win. Not even 2nd place. 

He grinned as an idea struck him. Sure, it wasn't necessarily a good idea but he needed to win at least once to feel better about himself. Call it dirty, but Brett was _desperate_. 

He peered over to Eddy, completely focused on the game. Now was his chance. 

He sneakily reached out his hand and poked the side of Eddy's torso, causing him to scream out loud. Nearly dropping his controller as he did so.

One of Eddy's weaknesses, aside from cockroaches— _tickles_.

Brett laughed at his exaggerated reaction and continued his focus on the game.

"What the hell?! That's not fair!"

"As you said Eddy, and I quote, "All is fair in love and war."" He shrugged casually as he worked his way up the ranks.

Eddy begrudgingly continued the game, he was now in 2nd place with Brett closing in behind him.

It wasn't enough, thought Brett. 'I need to knock him down a couple more times.' But Eddy could guess Brett's move now at this point and readied himself for the next tickle attack.

As he expected, Brett reached out his hand once more but Eddy evaded his touch. He grinned smugly, "Hah. You're so easy to ready."

Brett huffed. He didn't care anymore at this point. He just wanted Eddy to lose. He lunged at him, discarding his own controller and tickled Eddy mercilessly. He practically _screeched_ at every touch as his body tossed and turned wildly on the couch. "Brett! Stop it!" He laughed breathlessly, trying to push the shorter of the two off him.

"What does it feel to be the loser now?" Brett grinned as he towered over Eddy, straddling his hips. His hands not stopping until he was sure he heard the game end with him and Eddy at the very last place.

"You lose, ha ha." Brett stuck his tongue out childishly.

"You lost too, you know." Eddy laughed at his boyfriend's antics. His chest heaved as he tried to even out his heartbeat. His face was red from all the tickles and his hair was mussed. For a moment, Brett thought Eddy looked _hot_ like this, beneath him, all messed up and out of breath. 

"Ah, I'm tired." Brett suddenly said and leaned down to lay on Eddy's chest. He wriggled around until he was comfortable. Eddy let out a soft chuckle and wrapped his arms around the man on top of him. 

They laid like that, enjoying the comfortable silence until drowsiness took over, sending them to slumberland.

—

They had spent the entire week being in each other's presence. It felt so normal now to have each other so close. Alas, everything must come to an end. They would go back to their daily routine of classes, projects and assignments next Monday. Not to mention, the final jury exam was just a few weeks after the break. They should really get back to practicing their chosen repertoire. But not before ending the break with a bang, leaving no regrets before the semester would resume.

So when Brett found out a carnival was going to be in town for a few days, he practically _begged_ Eddy to go. Brett wanted to capture and remember every moment with him. And Eddy being the softie that he was for Brett, and only him, had agreed to it. He laughed at the little dance Brett made out of excitement. 

This time it was a _date_. Not the friends kinda date. But a date _date_. 

—

"Alright, let's avoid the ones with heights."

"Which is pretty much every rides."

"Oh well. Wanna look at the booths?"

"Yeah, sure."

They walked through the crowds, looking around for something they might be interested to play. There were a few such as shooting games, and hoop throwing. And a number of food stalls as well.

Eddy noticed Brett was getting a little bit farther behind him, so he reached out to hold his hand and pulled Brett closer to him. "Don't want you getting lost now."

"I'm not a child." Brett jutted out his lips.

Eddy just smiled and hummed as they walked together, hand in hand. Brett looked down to the firm grasp of Eddy's hand and smiled to himself. 'Just say you want to hold hands, dammit.'

Eddy pointed to a shooting game. "Oh! I wanna try that."

"Are you even good at it?"

"Hey, I'm sure all those hours of playing Overwatch has made me somewhat competent at shooting."

They walked over to the booth and paid for a round. The booth manager handed him a loaded shotgun. Five shots per game. Eddy brought the gun up, without hesitation, he pulled the trigger. It was a miss. Brett laughed but comforted Eddy. "We can't be good at everything huh?"

Eddy pouted. "That was only the first shot. I was just warming up."

He turned his focus on the targets again. For a moment, he stood so impossibly still, Brett thought he was frozen. He took his time steadying his arms. Eddy's eyes were completely focused, studying the movement patterns of the rubber ducks. He waited patiently for the right moment and.. bang!

The sound it made startled Brett causing him to flinch, he didn't realise he had been staring at Eddy so intently the entire time. To his surprise, Eddy had hit his target. He let out a victorious cry. "What did I tell you? I'm a genius."

Brett scoffed. "You were just lucky."

Apparently, Eddy's luck was persistent. He had three successful hits out of the 5 shots he was given.

"Pick your prize." The manager pointed to the shelves lined with plushies and soft toys.

Eddy scanned his options until his eyes landed on a medium sized koala plushie in a corner. "That one please."

"Why this? There are plenty of cuter options like the bears or the dogs." Brett took it into his arms, squeezing the soft material.

"Because it looked like you."

"Huh? In what way?" Brett asked in puzzlement as he looked at the koala, studying its features curiously.

Eddy laughed as he looked at Brett and the plushie. The deadpan face was uncanny.

"In a lot of ways. C'mon, let's check out the other booths."

—

After playing several rounds of games, they were getting a little tired from traversing through the myriad of people. As they were searching for a bench to take a breather, Brett's eyes sparkled as he spotted a bubble tea stand. He excitedly told Eddy to wait for him and dashed off towards his goal.

Eddy giggled at how much Brett _loved_ bubble tea. As he did too but not as much as him, to the point of abandoning everything he was doing at the moment.

"Two bubble tea please. Oh, and can you please make one of them half sugar and half ice? Thank you." He knew Eddy wasn't a fan of sweets.

He paid for his order and walked back to where he left Eddy, with their favourite drinks in both hands. He smiled happily. The evening went exactly as how he thought it would be. _Perfect_.

Brett saw Eddy in his line of vision and walked faster before stopping abruptly in his tracks. There was a woman next to him. He knew her. Eddy used to always talk about her all the time. It was his ex-girlfriend.


	21. XXI

"Eddy?"

"Joanne?"

The surprise was equally apparent on their faces. What are the odds of accidentally meeting your ex at a carnival while on a date with your boyfriend? 

"Hey, long time no see! Fancy meeting you here." She smiled genuinely. 

"Yeah.. Has it been over a year now?"

"Time sure flies, huh? Waiting for someone?"

Eddy hummed and smiled as he looked away, not knowing what to respond. Well if it wasn't obvious enough, they were at a carnival. She could tell what it was. "A date perhaps?" She raised her brows teasingly.

"Something like that." He laughed, and rubbed his neck shyly. 

"Let me guess, was it Brett?"

Eddy's eyes widened. He stammered, "Y-yes.. I'm actually a little amazed by how you guessed everything right."

"We dated for almost 6 months. I can tell that much, Eddy. Give me a little credit will you?" She joked and nudged his arm. The air was not at all uncomfortable. Things ended on good terms between the both of them. It simply felt like meeting an old friend. 

"But wow, you look amazing. How's life?" He looked at her up and down. Joanne looked different somehow. More radiant and glowing.

"Great, great. I just finished my doctoral degree. And oh, guess what? I'm getting married!"

Eddy gasped. "Oh my god. That's amazing. Congratulations, I'm so happy for you." They shared a quick hug.

"Actually, I'm in town for a little visit. I was going to stop by the dorms to meet you and give you the invitation. Makes things easier now that we met like this." She said as she took out a letter from her purse, handing it to Eddy.

Eddy took the letter with his name written on it.

"You had better come." She jokingly threatened, pointing her finger at him.

"Definitely." He smiled, genuinely happy for her moving on to the next phase of life.

"Oh, I gotta go now. Don't wanna keep the "Mr" waiting." She was about to leave when she suddenly turned around for one last word. "Oh, and Eddy."

"Yeah?"

"I'm really happy for you and Brett." She smiled warmly, squeezing his shoulder, before leaving, disappearing amidst the endless crowds.

What Eddy didn't realise was a certain pair of eyes watching from afar.

—

Eddy was driving Brett back home. He was unusually quiet throughout the whole ride. He was clearly in a mood and Eddy couldn't figure out why. As soon as they entered the apartment, he decided to ask him about it.

"Brett, is there something wrong? You didn't enjoy the carnival?" Eddy asked with concern.

"I'm fine. The carnival was great." He said coldly as he went to his room to change into loungewear.

That was a lie, Eddy could tell. He followed Brett, trying to probe an answer out of him. "You've had this expression since a while now."

He turned around to Eddy. "Gee, I don't know, Eddy. Maybe the fact that I saw you secretly meeting your ex girlfriend during our date?" Brett said, cynicism dripping at every word he spoke. There was really no point in beating around the bush, he thought. Might as well just confront him about it.

Eddy was caught off guard, he didn't think Brett would see that. "That's not true. It was purely coincidental. We were just catching up and—" Eddy tried to explain himself recalling their accidental meeting.

"Oh really? Then what was all that touching about?" 

"That was just a friendly shoulder pat. She said-"

"Right. What next? A friendly kiss on the lips? Why don't you just go and be with her instead of playing me around like this." Brett said, spitefully mocking as he huffed and looked away from Eddy.

Eddy was left speechless for a while, frozen where he stood.

Neither of them spoke a word. Time passed by in excruciating silence. 

Eddy's face was deeply saddened, Brett felt a pinch of guilt. He hadn't meant to be so hurtful, but kept his resolve.

Eddy took a deep breath before talking. "I've been trying to tell you, we were just catching up. She asked me how life was and I was being courteous by making small talk. If you still don't believe me, here, she gave me an invitation card to her wedding. She told me to bring my significant other, that is.. if you still want to go.." Eddy brought out the envelope from his pocket. 

Brett looked at it skeptically, but true enough, there was her name on it along with every other details. Oh, Brett screwed up. 

Silence ensued again as neither knew what to say.

Until Eddy spoke, in a dejected voice so small, "Don't you trust me at all..?" He had given Brett nothing but love, affection and loyalty. He was a little hurt by the fact that Brett didn't place his trust in him when they've been together for over half a year. 

Brett could see Eddy's eyes getting glassy. 'Oh no, was he crying?'

He reached out immediately by instinct to touch Eddy's cheek, trying to wipe the tears that have started falling down. "Eddy.. Eddy, I'm so sorry. Please don't cry."

Brett cursed at himself for jumping to conclusion way too quickly. He needed to fix this situation he made and _fast_.

He held Eddy's hands, grasping it firmly to calm him down. "To be honest.. when I see you both together like that, I was furious. Then it suddenly dawned on me how perfect you guys look together. I was.. sad."

Eddy looked at Brett in the eyes. "Why would you think that?"

"I don't know.. I mean, she's pretty, she's mature and smart. She's perfect. In comparison to me, an anxious goofball who needs constant reassurance every 5 seconds, I thought you got tired of me and.. want to get back with her or something."

"Oh Brett.. I chose you remember? I've chosen you despite everything you tell yourself to be."

"Even if I'm a little erratic and crazy..?"

Eddy made a little laugh, "Even if you're a little erratic and crazy."

"So, don't compare yourself with anyone. That doesn't mean anything to me because at the end of the day I'll choose to be with this anxious goofball over her or anyone else."

Now it was Brett's turn to cry. Eddy let out a chuckle. "Why are _you_ crying?"

"How could I _not_ when you say things like that?!" He wailed and hugged Eddy, letting out soft sobs on his chest. "I'm so sorry." He repeatedly said, his voice muffled and ridden with his cries. Eddy pat his back, consoling him.

He brought Brett's face up, his hands on each side of his cheeks. Their foreheads were touching. "It's okay. Everything's fine now."

Loving Eddy has made him do crazy things and feel things he never thought he would. And most importantly, loving Eddy made him happy knowing he was loved back unconditionally.

"I love you." The words slipped out of Brett's mouth when neither had expected it and caught Eddy by surprise. "I love you so much, it drives me mad sometimes."

He leaned over to kiss Eddy, mumbling "I love you"s in between his breaths but no matter how much he said it couldn't quite express how much he really meant it.

He found it funny. Their love didn't even have a resemblance of love in the first place. 

It all happened so suddenly. One day, they just looked into each other's eye and thought, oh, this was _it_. They didn't even know why they were feeling that way but it felt so _right_.

Eddy smiled and kissed him back. "I love you too."


	22. XXII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> very nsfw :^)
> 
> holy shit this is so unbelievably detailed 😂 enjoy!

Brett had his hand on the back of Eddy's head as Eddy wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling them closer. They slow kissed for a while, and Brett seemed to have calmed down.

_I love you._

Eddy couldn't hide how happy he was as he smiled into the kiss. How he loved this man in his hold so much, he didn't know how to express himself in a way that Brett could understand. He kissed him with more intensity than before, leaning over his weight to the smaller man.

Before Brett knew it, he was pushed onto the bed, their lips never breaking contact. He tried to keep up with Eddy's eagerness. His body grew warmer and he couldn't deny the feeling of arousal pooling in the pit of his stomach. He was getting a little light headed.

He broke the kiss, gently pushing Eddy away. "Wait.. Eddy.. Let me breathe for a bit." He said breathily.

"Sorry, I'm just so happy to hear those words from you." Eddy said, beaming as he looked at the man below him with adoration. Brett chuckled and ruffled Eddy's hair.

Their fingers entwined and their legs tangled as they held each other closely in comfortable silence on the bed.

"Hey, Brett?"

"Hm?"

"I want to prove it to you."

Eddy propped his arms on the bed and towered over Brett. He looked at him in the eyes with an expression he had never seen before. "Let me prove my love to you. I want.. I want to do it."

His heart beat wildly. Brett swore he had never blushed so hard in his entire life. "O- oh."

"Only when you're ready, that is." Eddy said, caressing his cheeks lovingly. He wouldn't want to pressure him into it if he felt uncomfortable to proceed. 

Brett smiled at how considerate Eddy was being towards his feelings. He wanted to let Eddy know that he loved him too. He had never been any more ready than he was at the moment. "I want this as much as you do, Eddy. And uh.. I've never went all the way with a man before.. Please be good to me?" Brett asked, fumbling with the hem of his shirt awkwardly. He couldn't quite look at Eddy in the eyes. 

Eddy smiled warmly at how adorable his boyfriend was, feeling shy about the whole situation. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you." He said softly as he brushed aside his bangs and kissed his forehead.

They kissed again, while their hands roamed underneath shirts, feeling the warmth of each other. They pulled away and Brett took off his glasses. "It's in the way." 

Eddy took the shirt off of Brett, revealing soft looking pale skin. He ran his hands down his torso, feeling him respond to the touch with a slight tremble. 

"Take yours off too." He wanted to touch Eddy as well. 

"Take it off yourself, baby." Brett did so. He shouldn't be surprised anymore at this point, seeing Eddy muscles countless of times he was out of the shower. He hovered his hand over Eddy's abs. "Maybe I should join you at the gym.." He said as he touched his own stomach, feeling conscious of his body.

"That's up to you. But I love you the way you are." He leaned down and kissed the little bit of protruded stomach. Brett flushed. 

"Lies.."

"I'm not lying." Eddy brought Brett's hand to the growing arousal in his jeans. "Feel that? You made me like that." Eddy whispered in Brett's ear. The warm breaths against his neck made shivers ran down his spine.

Eddy licked underneath his jaw, leaving bites as he did so. Crimson marks now decorated the once clear canvas of the fair skin. These were gonna last for a few days. "Don't bite me where people can see."

"Why not? Let them see it. Let them know that you're mine." Eddy purred in his ears.

Brett groaned, hands in his face, trying to cover his impossibly red face. He was embarrassed yet so happy to be called Eddy's.

"Tell me where you like to be touched." 

"I don't know.."

"I guess we'll try things out. How about here?" Eddy fondled Brett's chest and flicked the nipple with his thumb. He bit his lips, holding his voice down as he shivered. "Did you like that?" Eddy licked the pink nub, giving it a gentle suck while his hand played with the other. Brett moaned as his body arched up involuntarily in response to Eddy's touches. 

Eddy felt the blood going down to his arousal from those sinful sounds. He looked at Brett from above. His skin was flushed pink from his ears to his shoulders. He was breathing heavily as his chest rose up and down. Eddy groaned at the view. "You're so hot when you're a moaning mess like this."

All the places Eddy touched felt like it was on fire. Brett was so hard, he needed relief soon. "Eddy.. more.." He moved his hips and rubbed his erection against Eddy's thigh. His pants felt so constricting so he took it off and kicked it away.

"Where's the lube?" Eddy asked.

"Right side table, topmost drawer." He instructed, quick and precise.

Eddy retrieved the bottle and pulled down Brett's underwear, revealing the stiff erection. He squeezed a generous amount in the palm of his hand. A fresh citrusy scent filled their surroundings. 

"Now, I need you to relax okay?"

Brett quietly nodded and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in. He could feel a finger encircling his entrance. Slowly it slid in, and Brett gasped. Eddy prodded around before sliding in another finger, making scissoring motions, loosening the muscle. He squirmed in discomfort at the foreign feeling. "You're doing so good, Brett." He kissed his thighs, comforting him.

Brett jolted when Eddy touched a particular spot. "E- Eddy.. that's.."

"I got you." He aimed for it again, making him mewl. It felt so good, his toes curl whenever Eddy brushed against it. The pleasure went straight to his erection. It didn't last very long when the fingers were pulled away.

"Brett, can I.." Eddy unzipped his pants, taking out his own aching arousal that had been begging for some attention.

"Okay.." He braced himself as he opened his legs nervously. Eddy swallowed dryly at the sight of Brett, all ready for him. He positioned himself as Brett wrapped his arms around his neck. 

"I'm going in." He slid inside very slowly, taking into consideration of his partner's comfort until he was fully inside. Eddy sighed when he felt the warmness engulfing his member. Brett squeezed his eyes shut as he breathed out shakily. Eddy could feel him trembling in his hold.

"How do you feel?"

"Weird but in a good way." He joked.

Eddy smiled and kissed him. He felt Brett's body relaxed as he moved. They started slowly at first, taking their sweet time, getting a feel of each other. Brett loved this. He wanted to savour every second of it. He felt so full, in more ways than one. He was making love to Eddy. The person he loved with his entire being. He was willing to surrender his everything. His body and his heart. It all belonged Eddy Chen. 

Brett rolled his hips and started to meet Eddy's thrusts halfway. The pace quickened as the pleasure was building up. Lewd sound of skin against skin filled the room. The friction against his sweet spot made him throw his head back in bliss. He clenched down whenever Eddy hit bullseye.

Eddy's head turned to mush when he felt the walls tightening around him. "God, Brett.. you feel so good.." It drove him crazy every time he did that.

Brett whimpered as he felt his orgasm nearing. "Eddy.. I'm close."

"Me too.." 

They kissed feverishly. Eddy's thrusts has turned rough and erratic. His moans was becoming louder the harder Eddy thrusted. Brett's legs wrapped around Eddy's waist, locking him in instinctively as he came. He cried out in ecstasy as his body quivered and his mind blanked. His come splattered all over his stomach up to his chest. A few more push and Eddy groaned, releasing himself inside of him.

Their skin were slicked with sweat as they breathed heavily, coming back to their senses. Eddy flopped ungraciously on top of Brett, feeling tired and spent. "That was.."

"Amazing." Brett finished the other's sentence. Eddy was still inside him, he could feel the dull throb of his member.

"We gotta clean up."

"Don't wanna move.." Brett slurred lazily, feeling drowsy.

He got up and pulled out making Brett flinch, still a little bit sensitive. Eddy blushed at the sight of Brett. His hair was a mess and red marks peppered across his skin. _Was I a bit too excited?_

"Are you okay? Did it hurt anywhere?"

"Honestly, my ass is a little sore but I'm fine, Eddy. Don't worry."

Brett yawned as he cuddled up closer to Eddy, not caring about how icky he was at the moment. It felt oddly comfortable like this. Eddy stroked his hair, further coaxing him into slumber. 

"I love you." Eddy said softly. Warmth blossomed in his chest at the words. He wished this moment could last forever.

"Love you more." Brett hummed.

"Love you most." He let out a small giggle at the childish competitiveness.

A while went by in silence. Eddy heard soft snores. "Brett?" He looked at him only to find out that he had fallen asleep. He was clinging to him so closely, Eddy didn't even have the heart to move.

He kissed the top of his head gently, careful as not to wake him up. Eventually he fell asleep as well holding him tight all throughout the night.


	23. XXIII

Brett woke up to the warmth of a body pressed against him from behind. He felt soft breaths tickling his ear.

Sunshine peeked through the thin, transparent curtains, lighting up the room. He rubbed his eyes drowsily and looked at the clock on the bedside table, eyes taking a while to focus due to heavy, sleep ridden eyelids. 7 a.m. It was still very much early. 

He turned around to the other side of the bed to look at his significant other. Eddy was still fast asleep. His cheek was smushed against the pillow and his lips was slightly parted as he breathed. Brett watched the slow rise and fall of his chest. _He looks so peaceful_. The morning rays accentuated his sharp features and his dark brown hair was astray in every direction possible. The image was anything but flattering yet Eddy looked absolutely ethereal in his eyes. Smiling fondly, Brett reached up to caress his cheek. His touch was feathery light, as if touching something precious and treasured, trying not wake the sleeping beauty. These fragile moments of the early morning, vulnerable, real and intimate— Brett _loved_ it.

Eddy stirred in his slumber and hummed. He had a small smile as he slept. Brett watched in fascination as he studied Eddy's face. _What is he dreaming about to make him all smiles like that?_ He poked his cheek and booped the tip of his nose, giggling to himself as he whined in his sleep.

Sleepy eyes fluttered open, and Eddy smiled at the sight of his boyfriend, thankful for being able to wake up next to him like this. "Mornin'."

Brett huddled up closer and gave him a quick good morning kiss. "Morning. You've been smiling in your sleep. What did you dream about?" He asked curiously.

"Mm, it's nothing." Eddy brushed off. 

"Aw, come on. Must've been something nice." 

"I guess I just remembered some old high school crushes."

Eddy laughed in amusement looking at how Brett's face immediately soured. Perhaps he was hoping that Eddy had been dreaming about him. Brett hit him lightly on the chest. "How dare you dream of someone else when you already have me!" He scolded.

"Are you being jealous?" Eddy asked cheekily, flashing his signature toothy smile that Brett absolutely adored even as he was irked by him at the moment. 

"Am I supposed not to?" Brett asked in disbelief as he huffed and looked the other way.

Eddy laughed. "It was just a dream." He kissed Brett's puffy cheeks but he still won't turn around to look at him.

"Brett?"

No response.

"Bretty?" Eddy cooed sweetly, hoping the use of his pet name would ward off all that frustration away.

It was so clear to him that he was fighting the smile threatening to show on his lips. Eddy grinned mischievously as he snaked his hand down Brett's bare torso.

Brett was only a simple man. Despite his unwillingness, his body inadvertently responded to Eddy's touches. He let out a sigh as his breath hitched, feeling the ghosting kisses against his skin. Eddy just knew where to push his buttons.

"Look at me, please?" Eddy whispered into his ears.

Brett looked at him, although the pout was still clear on his face. "Yes, you're right. I'm not gonna lie, I am jealous. Who was that lucky person anyway? I lost count. You had a lot of crushes back then."

Eddy smiled softly at him. _The best, and quite possibly the last._

"Well then, consider yourself _lucky_." Eddy leaned forward and kissed Brett on the lips. He lingered for a bit before pulling away when he didn't feel any response.

Brett's expression was so funny, but Eddy held back his laughter. Brett was dumbstruck and as a result, his mouth was agape. Yet somehow, the red flush was apparent on his face all the while.

"Wh- what do you mean? Are you saying-" 

"That I had a crush on you all this time? Yes."

"Since when? And why didn't you say anything?"

"I couldn't say something that I wasn't even aware of now could I? But I'm sure now, more than ever, that I am unmistakably, undoubtedly, absolutely in love with you. And if you doubt yourself again, I will remind you each and every time, as many times as you'd like— there is no where else I'd rather be than in your arms." 

Eddy didn't have the best memory nor could he pinpoint the exact moment when he started looking at Brett in a different light. It was a budding feeling, that had grown through the years, but pushed far back into the deepest parts of his heart. The mysterious feeling that could only be described as longing. Perhaps that was the closest word for it. Sadly, the bud was denied of a chance to bloom. Unbeknownst to them for what could turn out to be something beautiful. They were so close yet they missed each other. But they were lucky that the universe brought them together that one fateful night. 

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to say to that." Brett was so happy, he couldn't even conjure the words in response.

"You don't have to. Just promise to stay by my side." 

This special bond that they share, there were no others like it. He wouldn't trade what they have for anything in this world. Brett was his anchor, weighing him down before he float away, going too deep into the darkest place of his mind. When he was lost in the midst of this crazy ride called life, he was his light, guiding him back to the things that were important. Eddy didn't know how to express it to Brett how precious and important he was to him but he hoped in time, he would understand.

Eddy's words tugged at his heartstrings, making his eyes glassy from the overwhelming emotions. Being the imperfect person that he was, Eddy still stayed by him. He was so lucky to have someone so understanding and loving as his best friend. 

Their faces met halfway and they kissed deeply, slowly. They rested their foreheads on each other with their noses barely brushing. Brett looked at Eddy in the eyes, and spoke with utmost certainty. "You have my heart. I trust you, Eddy. I.. I love you."

"I love you." He said it again, with a newly refined determination. 

There were times Eddy felt terrible from making Brett cry, and there were also times he was overjoyed for making him smile brightly. But when Brett teared up with happiness like this, Eddy's heart just burst with so much love and adoration for him.

He had been there for him for as long as he could remember. They were each other's constant all through the years. Sometimes, it was easy for these kind of things to be taken for granted.

That night, under the twinkling stars, surrounded by a flower garden in the backyard of his childhood home, was one of Eddy's most precious memories. He remembered it like it was yesterday. The cool air caressing his face. The rush and excitement as they danced like madmen till they fell over. His dream reminded him of that moment and convinced him of his feelings for Brett once more.

Neither of them thought that they'd be in a relationship so deep and profound such as this. It sort of just happened and everything just fell in place perfectly. One day, they looked at each other in the eyes and realised they never wanted to look at another's ever again. 

They were each other's past and present. And now they were each other's future.

Eddy hold him impossibly closer, he could feel his steady heartbeat against his chest. Brett's on the left and Eddy's was on the right. They sort of completed each other like that, beating at their own pace.

"I love you too, Brett."


	24. epilogue

**remnants of the past**

"Hey."

"Oh, hey."

"I thought you went to school for, y'know, the prom that is happening, like _tonight_?" Brett took a seat next to Eddy.

"Yeah uh, remember I told you I'd ask Cindy to go with me?" Eddy had been confident then. Perhaps _too_ confident. He didn't think Brett would come over to check up on him so now he had to embarrassingly admit to his best friend that he didn't have a date to the prom and had given up entirely on participating in the event.

"Yes, and judging by how you're here, eating a tub of ice cream alone in the backyard, listening to Listz's Forgotten Romance, I'm guessing it didn't go well?"

"Nope." Eddy replied in a mock enthusiastic voice, easing his disappointment with sarcasm.

"Ah, well. It's _her_ loss." Brett said, as a matter of factly. Then again, there was a slight sense of relief in the small of his heart at the news of her refusal. 

"Aw, thanks buddy." Eddy crooned as he played with the melting Ben and Jerry's in his hand. He was a little touched at his effort to make him feel better.

Brett knew how excited Eddy was for the dance. How he had been crushing on Cindy since the start of the school year. The sighs he made as she passed by the hallway. The painfully obvious stares. He had seen it all. Eddy's crushes tend to come and go. They were fleeting but Cindy looked like she was responding to the signs he was giving, alas she chose some jock over him. Orchestra kids were thought to be nerds so they weren't that popular. Popularity was overrated anyway. High school just sucked in general.

Eddy was such a sweet and likeable boy. Anyone rejecting him would be a fool, Brett thought.

Brett wasn't a people person so he never really joined these type of events. But Eddy lived for these things. It was too sad to see him looking all dejected like this. He was listening to Listz unironically for God's sake. 

He reached for Eddy's phone and changed the music, from the dreary piano piece to something more romantic.

Brett stood up and cleared his throat. He did a little curtsy and held out his hand. "Would you do the honours of sharing this dance with me, m'lord?"

Eddy chuckled at his impersonation of an exaggerated British accent. He took the extended hand, and let himself be pulled right into Brett's arms. "Gladly."

They swayed to the music, not caring about their mismatched steps, or the lack of elegance in the settings. The moon peeked through the clouds and shone dimly. It was only them and the stars above. It was _perfect._

The music gradually picked up its tempo and they spun around, giggling like children, letting themselves go wild. As the music ends dramatically, they fell down onto the grass, laughing as they catch their breath.

"That was worlds better than dancing to some ears deafening EDM in a packed school gym."

"The pleasure is all mine." Brett looked over and winked.

For a moment, they laid in silence, enjoying each other's company.

"Thanks." Eddy said quietly.

"What for?"

"Well, for just being yourself."

"What are you talking about, weirdo." Brett laughed. Eddy could trace his smile underneath the moonlight and the streetlights. Brett looked dazzling somehow. His heart throbbed in ways he never felt before. The butterflies he felt when he saw his crushes couldn't even compare to the intensity of this sensation.

_Oh, that was when I—_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! What a ride. I had a couple Breddy oneshots unpublished in my drafts but this is the first fic I had the courage to post. 
> 
> To be honest, this fic was loosely based on my real life experience (shameful self-projecting haha). I used this fic as an outlet for my feelings. Writing was also how I cope with stress (being a university student). I apologise if some parts seemed super personal 🙏🏻 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this. I loved all of the comments that you guys left 💕 Finally, I can close this chapter. I hope you look forward to my next work as well. See you again!


End file.
